LGBTQ

Grindr hooks up with top rugby team for strings-attached fun – and to make sport more inclusive

Members of Biarritz Olympique sporting Grindr-sponsored uniforms. (Biarritz Olympique/Grindr/Twitter)

Grindr has hooked up with a top rugby team to design a versatile jersey set – all the while making sports more inclusive.

The queer dating app announced on its Twitter page Wednesday (26 May) as the new sponsor for French professional rugby club Biarritz Olympique.

In the app’s iconic black and yellow colour scheme, alongside a red and white colourway, the jerseys will be worn by the French Pro Division Two team in the 2021/22 season.

And, of course, the app’s logo is printed on the back of the shorts. Because of course.

The team, based in the Basque city of Biarritz, New Aquitaine, was described by Grindr in a social media statement as “outspoken against homophobia”.

“[Biarritz Olympique] has committed to Grindr to continue its work to increase inclusivity and acceptance in the league and rugby overall,” the statement continued.

“Grindr for Equality is an ever-evolving mission to help LGBTQ people around the globe.

“Our wide-ranging initiatives impact communities large and small on issues that matter to them the most: safety, sexual health, advocacy, and more.”

Biarritz Olympique is near the top of France’s second division and is currently jockeying for a lucrative promotion back to the Top 14.

The deal is part of broader efforts from the French National Rugby League, known as the LNR, to get equality over the gain line and stamp out anti-LGBT+ attitudes in sport for good.

In May, Biarritz Olympique sought to boost the LNR’s message of inclusivity on its social media platforms. “Today and every day, the LNR is calling for the end of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, a cause we hold close to our heart,” the team’s statement read.

“We will continue to carry the universal values of rugby, which are equality, respect and solidarity.”

It comes as disgraced Australian rugby player Israel Folau, whose career was toppled for making homophobic comments, vaulted himself back into the game.

French team Catalans Dragons, from Perpignan, initially welcomed Folau onto the team, only for him to bounce to Queensland Rugby League side Southport Tigers.

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