He was lured to his death in a secluded park. In a pandemic, dating can be deadly for LGBTQ+ people

Many are feeling vulnerable, and there are fears that homophobic assailants may be taking advantage of the fact that queer dating apps are one of the only opportunities LGBTQ+ individuals can use to meet others right now.

Since lockdowns were imposed around the world when the pandemic took hold early last year, apps such as Grindr, Scruff and Her have have taken on a greater role in the LGBTQ+ community, as traditionally safe public LGBTQ+ spaces, such as gay bars, clubs and pubs, were forced to shut their doors.

Grindr said it was “deeply saddened” by the murder of David P. “This is a tragic and disturbing reminder of the hatred and violence faced by all-too-many people in the LGBTQ+ community, despite the many advances across the world. We stand ready to assist local authorities with their investigation of this matter,” the company said in a statement to CNN.

Christian, 25, lives in Cardiff, Wales, and has been using online queer platforms since the pandemic began. Like many, he is mourning the loss of places that have always provided connection and security for LGBTQ+ people.

“Dating apps have barely filled the hole that the absence of queer spaces during the pandemic has left,” he said.

When it comes to the question of safety for LGBTQ+ individuals engaging in online dating, Christian, who asked CNN not to use his last name to protect his privacy, says he’s lucky to live in a city where queerness is largely accepted, and where he hasn’t experienced too much hostility — but says he’s been in uncomfortable scenarios, too.

“I’ve been in some situations where I’ve found myself meeting with someone who doesn’t look like their picture, and not felt empowered to leave that situation,” Christian said. “I feel we need more open conversations about these experiences, so we can better develop a dialogue and safety protocols for when we do meet with people online.”

With dating apps one of few available avenues for LGBTQ+ people to meet potential sexual and romantic partners during the pandemic, it has become increasingly clear just how few safeguards are in place to protect users.

Dating apps have been facing calls to provide more safeguards for years.

An unwelcoming environment

Many LGBTQ+ Europeans are feeling increasingly isolated — and not just because of lockdown. The pandemic hit just as some European countries were rolling back fundamental freedoms for LGBTQ+ people.

In a 2020 study, the LGBTQ+ rights group ILGA-Europe found that — for the second year in a row — countries were moving backwards on the Rainbow Index, which pulls together a picture of what the policy landscape for LGBTQ+ people in Europe looks like right now.

If the disappearance of safe and public LGBTQ+ spaces wasn’t enough to leave individuals feeling uneasy, this rise in open hostility towards the community has only added to the anxiety of having to depend on dating apps — which so often involve speaking to total strangers — in order to seek out intimacy.

“Dating apps have a moral obligation to help make sure their users are safe, especially LGBTQ+ individuals who are currently facing such high levels of isolation,” he said. “They make their money from LGBTQ+ people, so they have an ethical responsibility to help ensure their protection.”

Van Roozendaal believes dating apps can protect and support LGBTQ+ users by being transparent about insistences of violence that have involved them.

“They should be using their platforms to encourage honest conversation about certain events and how users feel about those,” he said “This is what community is for. This is how we can find protection — by sharing the truth about experiences and sharing resources for safety.”

Rémy Bonny is a political scientist and LGBTQ+ activist working in Brussels. He feels that, while it’s important these apps strive to help protect the community, the issue of LGBTQ+ people’s safety runs deeper than simply seeking more effective measures from these spaces.

Bonny says he doesn’t trust Belgian police to take homophobia seriously.

“The only reason I would go to the police here to report a homophobic incident would be to have the statistic recorded,” Bonny said. “It’s not because I expect them to actually do anything about it.”

Brussels police did not respond to a request for comment.

As Belgium grieves for David P., and queer communities strive to find alternative ways to connect in these unprecedented times, advocates say the onus for keeping LGBTQ+ people safe lies with a range of institutions — from dating platforms to politicians and the police.

Bonny believes politicians have a “responsibility to protect LGBTQ+ people as their rights are infringed upon.” If they work to uphold fundamental freedoms and tamp down rising homophobic rhetoric, then LGBTQ+ people are likely to feel safer as they navigate online dating spaces, he argues.

In the meantime, while these platforms and institutions must work to provide the LGBTQ+ community with more sufficient protection, Christian thinks people can find safety in queer dating outside of apps, even as the Covid crisis rages on.

“There are different ways we can create spaces for finding romantic and sexual partners right now beyond dating apps through diversifying queer environments online — such as establishing activism groups,” he says.

“Through this, our spaces are not just geared towards love and sex, but to solidarity and community, too.”