Grindr bans 'no zionists' in bios, but still allows racist and fatphobic language

Grindr, the popular gay dating app, has begun blocking users from including the phrase "no Zionists" in their dating profiles. Attempting to do so now triggers an error message saying the terms "no Zionist" and "no Zionists" are "not allowed." The change was first reported by 404 Media on Thursday and later confirmed by Mashable on Saturday.

UPDATE: Jul. 31, 2025, 1:04 p.m. PDT Grindr announced it's reversing its decision to ban the terms "no Zionist" and "no Zionists" in bios, with a spokesperson telling Out on Tuesday that the policy was "implemented following user escalations around its potentially inflammatory nature," but the company "recently decided to reverse this one upon review."

Credit: Grindr screenshot

But while the hookup app has cracked down on that specific phrase, other offensive and exclusionary language — including "no FFA" (fats, femmes, Asians), "no Blacks," and even "no Jews" — remains allowed in user bios. These discriminatory "preferences" have long sparked criticism, and they appear to conflict with Grindr’s own terms of service, which prohibit content that a “reasonable person could deem to be objectionable,” including language that is "racially or ethnically… offensive."

"It's kind of crazy," said Gabriel, a Grindr user who showed me the error message firsthand. "Like I was typing a bunch of things in there, and I'm able to type stuff like no fats, no femmes, no Asians. The Zionists one is so crazy because I've seen people say no conservatives, no liberals. It's just interesting."

When reached for comment, a Grindr spokesperson told Mashable the restriction was introduced "following user escalations around its potentially inflammatory nature," and that the company is "currently conducting a review on this matter." Pressed on why "no Zionists" was flagged while other racially charged phrases remain untouched, a Grindr representative repeated that it is still reviewing the policy, offering no further explanation.

Grindr has long faced criticism for its inconsistent efforts to address racism on its platform. In 2020, amid the Black Lives Matter protests, the company pledged to remove its controversial ethnicity filters — but the feature remained active for weeks after the announcement, persisting through several app updates. The issue isn't exclusive to Grindr, either. On Hinge, for example, ethnicity is one of just three filters available to all users without a premium subscription, out of a total of 13.

As noted in 404 Media’s original report, Grindr’s founder, Joel Simkhai, is Israeli and left the company in 2018 after it was sold to a Chinese gaming firm. While that detail may offer some context, it doesn’t directly explain the platform’s sudden decision to crack down on anti-Zionist language. In a statement on X responding to the 404 Media story, the Anti-Defamation League praised Grindr for "prohibiting discrimination against Zionists," but added, "They should apply protection to all identities."