Joel Simkhai Kicks Off LGBT “Hackathon”
Joel Simkhai, a Los Angeles- based gay Jew who is the founder of the most popular gay dating app in the world, Grindr, kicked off “Hack4Equality” on Saturday, to build applications aimed at solving issues within the LGBTQ community such as transgender visibility and economic empowerment.
The City of West Hollywood is partnering with HackerNest and Grindr in a seven-week“hackathon” to build apps to address issues in the LGBT community.
HackerNest is a Toronto-based nonprofit that builds local tech communities around the world.Grindr, headquartered in West Hollywood, is the owner of a gay sex hookup app that has sparked controversy for allegedly facilitating illegal drug sales.
“Hack4Equality” will kick off on Saturday and run through the end of September. Hackathon participants will be aided by open data from the White House’s Opportunity Project to build applications aimed at solving issues within the LGBTQ community such as transgender visibility and economic empowerment; LGBTQ homelessness; access to sexual health services and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV, and international LGBTQ issues.
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