The President of Grindr has faced backlash for comments on same-sex marriage.
In a post on his personal Facebook page, publicised by Grindr-owned news outlet Into, the dating app’s president and former CTO Scott Chen claimed that marriage is a “holy matrimony between a man and a woman”.
His comments came as he shared an article about HTC president and CEO Cher Wang, which alleged his non-profits supported US-based anti-LGBTQ groups organising to influence Taiwan’s referendum on same-sex marriage.
Chen was critical of HTC, promising to boycott the company and their products, but also appeared to suggest that his own personal beliefs are in opposition to the idea of same-sex marriage.
“Some people think that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman, and I think so too, but that’s your own business,” he wrote.
“Some people think that the purpose of marriage is to bring up children with your own DNA, but that’s your own business.
“But there are people who aren’t the same as you, and desperately hope that they can also get married; they have their own reasons for wanting that.”
He went on to call getting married a “personal” matter, and encouraged people with money to “donate to people suffering from poverty, hunger, war or natural disasters” rather than anti-gay causes.
“Why spend all that money to stop people who love each other from getting married? Aren’t there more important stuff in life?” he concluded.
His comments were originally brought to light by Into, an online news outlet owned by Grindr, which said that several employees of the company had approached them about the Facebook post.
Chen, who became president of the company after it was bought by Chinese gaming corporation Kunlun, responded to Into’s article about his comments, saying that he is a supporter of same-sex marriage.
“The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience,” he wrote.
“I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage.
“Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage.”
He added: “I am a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights since I was young. I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr.”
Chen made the original Facebook post earlier this week, after Taiwan voted against same-sex marriage in a referendum organised by Christian groups hoping to shut down marriage equality.
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