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Feb 08, 2024
Marginalized communities have always known that our personal lives are intertwined with politics. Whether it’s our casual conversations with friends, our hobbies, or how we spend our time, politics always seems to infiltrate our personal interactions. And our dating lives aren’t immune to this influence!
In today’s world, shared values are the bedrock of any meaningful relationship. Now, more than ever, open and honest discussions on critical issues like abortion, civil rights, climate change, trans rights, and immigration hold immense significance for individuals navigating the dating scene.
One thing kept popping up in recent conversations we’ve had with active members of HER: Political views can seriously make or break a romantic connection. So, we knew we had to allow people to start sharing this key information from day one.
Today, we’re launching HER’s new Political Pins, designed to connect you with people who are passionate about the same issues as you, from mutual aid to Black Lives Matter to canceling student debt. Because, let’s be honest, it’s 2024, and nobody’s trying to fall for someone only to find out a few weeks into dating they’re against the social cause that matters most to us.
Robyn, the CEO and Founder of HER, shared, “For many of us, our politics are core parts of our identities — they shape how we live, what we stand for, and how we navigate each day. It’s crucial to find people who share our core values, especially in a community like ours, where politics hit close to home.”
According to recent studies, most singles value aligning on specific political issues more than general ideological compatibility when looking for a new partner. That’s because these core issues and “hot-button topics” are based on the core beliefs that shape our identities and aspirations.
“In my personal life, there are topics I feel so strongly about that I couldn’t fathom befriending or dating someone who held views at odds with my own. To me, political views are manifestations of our values, morals, and ability to empathize with others,” said Rowan, HER’s Lead Product Designer.
Our political views don’t only come out when we’re at the polls. They influence how we go about our day-to-day lives: the products we consume, how we see the world around us, the values we hope to pass down to our kids, our healthcare decisions, and our dreams.
“Political expression is at the heart of the queer and sapphic experience. Being able to know off the bat where potential partners stand is going to better help connect folks with those key shared values and beliefs,” said Victor, HER’s Head of Engineering.
You can learn a lot about a person based on who they surround themselves with. In the same vein, we can learn a lot about ourselves by looking at the people we feel most at ease around in our lives.
The people in our close circles can inspire and propel us to be the best version of ourselves. They can motivate us to try new things, to commit to reaching that one goal, to be kinder to ourselves, and even to be more open-minded.
Sometimes, it can feel easier to overlook certain details when dating someone new because all that serotonin can cloud things up a little. But what if there was a way just to know, before you even swiped right, that the cute sapphic on your feed was also all about climate change? Or that the curly-haired masc was an eat the rich stan?
You may be able to scroll a little easier and swipe with a lot more confidence that your potential new connections would be made up of people who, like those close friends in your life, would inspire you to continue advocating for the things you believe in!
Best said by AJ, the Head of Trust and Safety at HER, “Listen, honey, queer people have places to go and people to see, okay? We’re walking three times faster than the average human (not running, though, thank god), and we’re scratching our cars while trying to park them — we don’t have time to waste! Finding others who share your interests feels incredible and gives you this huge boost to open up more and be yourself. Who can be mad at that?”
We hope that HER’s new Political Pins encourage members of our community to spark life-long connections with people who admire and respect them for being exactly who they are.
“Honesty, communication, shared values, and respect are crucial when forming connections and relationships! I love real people who are not scared to be themselves. That’s what being human is all about! But that takes trust. Trust is the cornerstone of any meaningful relationship,” said Angie, HER’s Head of Partnerships.
Express every facet of your sapphic identity. Download HER today and add our new Political Pins to your profile!
Daniela Ochoa-Bravo is a writer and creative based in Brooklyn, born in Bogotá. She is the Founder and Editor of Colectivo Tabú, a project dedicated to democratizing the publishing industry by creating a space where the works of emerging and established artists can seamlessly coexist alongside each other.
