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Disclosing Survivor/Victim Identity in the Search for Queer Sexual Relationships: An Experimental Audit Study of Lesbian and Gay Users on Mobile Dating Apps

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Abstract

Introduction

Given the rise of online disclosures of victimization and the potential stigma faced by those who reveal such information, this study explores the extent to which victimization disclosure impacts romantic relationship prospects via matching outcomes in gay and lesbian dating apps.

Methods

An experimental audit used pre-rated photographs submitted by participants and bio text produced by the research team to create study profiles that varied by gender and race/ethnicity. Profiles in the experimental and control conditions were identical in every way except for a brief disclosure statement of prior victimization in experimental profile bios. Data include 72,000 total attempts to match (“swipes”) on dating apps and were collected from March through May 2020.

Results

Findings indicate that victimization disclosure significantly reduced match rates relative to control profiles in the White and Latinx gay and Latinx and Black lesbian conditions, while Black gay men received significantly more matches in the experimental condition. However, findings varied depending on the race/ethnicity of study profiles and dating app users who matched with study profiles.

Conclusions

Lesbian and gay individuals who disclose victimization experience bias associated with disclosed victimization in dating apps and intersectionality of race and gender seems to influence victim blaming. The negative impact of this discrimination on mental health could be even more serious relative to heterosexual individuals due to their already marginalized social status, especially among racially minoritized individuals.

Policy Implications

Educational campaigns that expose the prevalence and impacts of victimization and resources available to support those who have been victimized may reduce the stigma of victimization over time, and providing comfortable online spaces for individuals to voluntarily share their experiences of victimization could allow for the development of an online community that could potentially enhance the recovery process.

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Availability of Data

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.

Code Availability

Code for data analyses was written in Stata by the authors.

Notes

  1. Due to IRB approval restrictions on app managers and developers who did not respond to message requests to use the apps for research purposes, the study team is not allowed to report the names of dating apps used in this study.

  2. Two dating apps used in this study allowed users to specify a maximum radius for matches. When this option was presented, the research team chose 100 miles to increase the sample size.

  3. While most study dating apps had no limit on the number of swipes, two apps limited the number of swipes per day to 100, which extended the data collection period for these apps.

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  1. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Robison Annex 302, 1000 River Road, Teaneck, NJ, 07666, USA

    Douglas N. Evans

  2. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Ave. Ste. 600, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, USA

    Kwan-Lamar Blount-Hill

  3. Sociology and Criminal Justice Department, Saint Joseph’s University, 5600 City Ave, Post Hall 133, Philadelphia, PA, 19131, USA

    Chunrye Kim

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Evans, D.N., Blount-Hill, KL. & Kim, C. Disclosing Survivor/Victim Identity in the Search for Queer Sexual Relationships: An Experimental Audit Study of Lesbian and Gay Users on Mobile Dating Apps. Sex Res Soc Policy (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-024-00969-6

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