Cis men are driving sapphics away from mainstream dating apps, says new survey

Pop culture seems to be more sapphic than ever, with out musicians like Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish dominating the charts and movies like Bottoms and Love Lies Bleeding ruling the box office. But does that mean sapphism is having a moment outside of media, too?

Sapphic dating app HER recently reported a large spike in new users, and the folks behind the app decided to investigate. HER surveyed its users to see what’s drawing them to the app — and what might be driving them away from the mainstream.

What are the biggest motivators to turn to a sapphic-specific app like HER? According to the survey, the number one reason users downloaded HER was a “preference for sapphic dating,” followed by interest in “a safe sapphic environment.” At number three was “the lack of cis men on the app.”

Cisgender men ranked first in another category, though: reasons for ditching dating apps that aren’t explicitly queer like Tinder, Bumble, or Hinge. The second biggest motivator for leaving mainstream dating apps was “a lack of genuine connections.”

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The survey also reported that though the majority of HER’s users are still on those mainstream apps, 52% have been using them less lately. But even among folks who use both sapphic-specific apps and more generic ones, queer community reigns supreme, with 75.2% of all survey respondents saying they prefer “identity/community-driven dating apps over mainstream ones.”

So, do trending sapphic stars like Chappell Roan actually have anything to do with all this? According to the survey, yes: 28% of HER’s survey respondents said they got the idea to try sapphic dating from “the cultural moment we are currently in.” 37.5% of survey respondents had never dated sapphics prior to joining HER.

“We definitely feel like we are in the eye of [the] Sapphic Renaissance storm as the core of this moment is really centered around Sapphic dating and love,” Robyn Exton, founder and CEO of HER, said in a press release. “HER’s features are centered around creating thoughtful experiences and genuine connection. It’s not surprising to us at all that sapphics and sapphic-curious people are flocking to the app for a safe, sapphic-centered dating app experience.”