So are citizens of tribal nations not part of this much-needed and much-wanted progressive coalition? Do we not vote? Do we not protest? Do we not have unique political, social, and ethical concerns? It’s difficult to say “tribe” in the United States without also invoking the ways it has been used in the course of colonial history. Some media outlets may be alright with alienating indigenous listeners, however, Crooked Media is explicit about its dedication to liberal and progressive causes. Bernie can be alienating to indigenous people. bears (I’m looking at you, Grindr) or Hillary vs. At the very least, using “tribe” to talk about twinks vs. Indigenous communities use these words - with the possible exception of “tribalism” - on a daily basis. So this might be reason enough to stop using “tribe,” “tribal,” and “tribalism” as an adjective for informal political and social groups. The White House Tribal Youth Gathering 2015 | Source: natvonline/YouTube
At another conference, I locked eyes and grimaced with the other Native attendees as a guest speaker described the federal government as “sometimes being a little tribal.” When President Obama brought together indigenous youth at the White House, wasn’t it named the “White House Tribal Youth Gathering”? They were groups of indigenous youth from Diné, Sapponi, Utqiagvik, and many other places. The attendees were not roving cliques of libertarian evangelists, Bernie Bros, or Red Hat Wearers. Two years ago, I attended the United National Indian Tribal Youth National Conference. We are actually asking if they are a citizen of Catawba Indian Nation. In our community, people often ask, “Is So-and-so tribal?” When we ask that question we aren’t wondering if So-and-so is overly dedicated to their niche political community. I am a citizen of Catawba Indian Nation, yę iswą (The People of The River), the only federally-recognized tribe in South Carolina. I have vague recollections of hosts Tommy, Jon, Jon, Dan, and their guests using “tribal” to describe everything from progressive sects to entire political parties, but mostly these incidences just warranted a groan and an eye-roll. But the heart of my ire can be summarized as: “those non-Natives sure do use ‘tribe’ a lot, particularly for people who never talk about Native issues.” Like most feuds - particularly ones where only one party is aware of it - it’s unclear exactly when the fight began. "We are proud to release these updates to our core functionality to firmly establish that we are committed to making Grindr a welcome and safe space for trans people.I am in a one-sided feud with Crooked Media - a media company that produces Pod Save America and other podcasts. "As the largest global queer social network, Grindr has always had trans men, trans women, and non-binary users on the app," said Peter Sloterdyk, VP of Marketing.
#Grindr tribes meaning update#
Plus, as Grindr notes, the company wanted to make sure it got the update right for its trans members.
However, the company has been addressing trans issues for some time, having included a trans option in its "Tribes" feature back in October 2013. "That's why we created written resources linked from the gender identity fields in the profile to answer cis users' questions and decrease that burden on trans people." The update also includes a comprehensive FAQ on transgender issues to help non-trans members interact courteously.Ĭonsidering Tinder - a dating site generally considered more binary-focused - implemented transgender options last year, many will question why Grindr, a dedicated queer space, has taken so long to introduce these features.
#Grindr tribes meaning how to#
"One thing we heard over and over again from trans people using Grindr was that they felt unwelcome and that their non-trans peers only wanted to ask them about what it means to be trans or approached without knowing how to speak respectfully about trans issues," said Jack Harrison-Quintana, Director of Grindr for Equality. The changes coincide with Transgender Awareness Week, and are the result of a survey of 5,500 existing trans users, as well as a consultation with the National Center for Transgender Equality. Writing throughout the website has also been updated to include gender neutral terms. Pronouns such as "he/him/his", "she/her/hers" and "they/them/theirs" can also be chosen, or specific pronouns written if not listed. Members can pick from a list of common gender identities such as "trans man", "woman", "cis man", "non-binary, "non-conforming" and "queer", or specify their own identity if it doesn't appear on the list. User profiles now include a new "identity" feature that includes options for listing gender and preferred pronouns. Grindr is rolling out new features to be more inclusive of transgender members.