1 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Cool zone media grinder. I hardly this is it could 2 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,879 Speaker 1: happen here where today the it is gay flirting and 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:17,119 Speaker 1: or harassment, and the here is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During the 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four Republican National Convention. I'm gare also known 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: by my undercover alias Garrison Davis, and I was lucky 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: enough to be one of our on the ground RNZ correspondence. 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: A few weeks ago. We provided daily coverage of the 8 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:38,560 Speaker 1: GOP Coronation festival based on our conversations with delegates, lobbyists, 9 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: and think tank ghoules, and reported on the general trends 10 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,880 Speaker 1: in rhetoric used by popular speakers at the event. We'll 11 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,199 Speaker 1: have some more in depth episodes about those topics in 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: the weeks to come, using more of our recorded interviews 13 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: we collected at the convention. But on top of our 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: regular coverage, I also had a special assignment that I'm 15 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: more or less assigned to myself. On this show, we 16 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: often talk about right wing extremism and issues facing gay 17 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,960 Speaker 1: and trans people, including the various ways conservatives and Christian 18 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: nationalists are trying to make life harder for queer people, 19 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: whether through legislation, online harassment, and physical violence as These 20 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,040 Speaker 1: are two of our most frequently covered topics. Being at 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: the Republican National Convention provided me with the perfect opportunity 22 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: to investigate the intersection between conservatism and homosexuality. For years, 23 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: I've heard rumors and urban legends about a massive influx 24 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: of Republicans flocking to the gay hookup app Grinder to 25 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 1: get laid during the R and C. Whether they be 26 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:44,479 Speaker 1: twenty year old Republican twinks from Miami or fifty three 27 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: year old self hating, closeted gay men from Idaho trapped 28 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: in loveless marriages, curiosity has often gotten the better of me, 29 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: and I needed to know how many homosexual Republicans were 30 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: actually logging onto Grinder You're unfamiliar. Grinder is technically a 31 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: dating app that serves the LGBTQ community, but in actuality, 32 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: it is a mediocre hookup app that mostly serves as 33 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: a way for strangers in their forties to completely unprompted 34 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: send you unflattering pictures of their penis. Grinder was launched 35 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: in two thousand and nine and is arguably the largest 36 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: and most popular gay dating app, especially among men. Grinder 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 1: has only been around for two in person RNCs prior 38 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: to this point twenty twelve and twenty sixteen, since all 39 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: convention activities moved online during twenty twenty for the pandemic. 40 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: So this July, for the first time in eight years, 41 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: Republicans from all around the country could gather in one 42 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: city and once their wives fell asleep, log on to 43 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 1: Grinder and this episode, I'm going to tell you about 44 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: my RNC Grinder experience. Before traveling to the city that 45 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,640 Speaker 1: was about to be invaded by all of the weirdest 46 00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 1: Republicans in the country, I needed to do some prep 47 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: to help ensure safety and success in my investigative endeavor. 48 00:03:02,200 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: I hope you queers liked that terrible punt. Based on 49 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:09,480 Speaker 1: the massive increase in violent anti trans rhetoric coming from 50 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:11,799 Speaker 1: the GOP, I already knew that I would be dusting 51 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,959 Speaker 1: off my old boy motor skills and going undercover as 52 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: a cisgender male. Although my ability to pass as a 53 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: straight mail is debatable, I can at least easily pass 54 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 1: as a not quite straight male. My trans feminine fashion 55 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: taste has been skewing more mask lesbian in recent years, 56 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: so clothing wasn't really an issue. I packed up basically 57 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 1: all my button up collared shirts, three ties, two black suits, 58 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: and a beige London fog trench coat. Basically, the vibe 59 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: I was going for was half young Republican, half Roman 60 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: towel boy dressed as a nineteen fifties FBI agent. I 61 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,560 Speaker 1: refer to this as Dale Cooper Moting. I was unwilling 62 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: to cut my hair to match most of the young 63 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: Republican frat boys, so I settled on styling my wavy 64 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: blonde locks like Baron Trump meets Total Swinton. In Constantine. 65 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 1: I was kind of Gabriel maxing for most of the convention, 66 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: and though most attendees were unable to pick up on 67 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: my diikish undertones, the one day I wasn't wearing a tie, 68 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: I did get she heard by the Secret Service when 69 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,479 Speaker 1: entering the convention through a security checkpoint. They're going woke. 70 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: So that was my general look for the convention. I 71 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: also completely remade my Grinder profile for the RNZ For 72 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: simplicity's sake, I got to emphasize my twinkish past and 73 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: removed the explicitly non binary transgender aspects of my profile, 74 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: replacing some of my more trans coded photos with pictures 75 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: of my light yagami and Dale Cooper cosplay. Perhaps next 76 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: rn C I can experiment with discovering how many of 77 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: the RNC attendees are chasers. But for safety's at sake, 78 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:50,679 Speaker 1: I went to more stealth, both online and in person 79 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: at RNC related events. For my main profile picture, I 80 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: chose a pretty basic photo of me with disheveled hair, 81 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: wearing a light gray shirt and thin blackes I looking 82 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:05,400 Speaker 1: just frankly exhausted. I chose the simple yet elegant user 83 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:09,839 Speaker 1: name Twink, and for my bio wrote gen z in 84 00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: town for Convention, which I thought was pretty funny and 85 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: signals to people that yes, I am here for the RNC, 86 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: but leaves the exact reason why still a bit mysterious. 87 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: So this was my bait. On my way to the airport, 88 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: I was already dressed for the part, as I suspected 89 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: the flight from Atlanta to Milwaukee would be part of 90 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: the whole RNC experience. I arrived at the gate and 91 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,080 Speaker 1: the vibe shift was immediate. Older white men with even 92 00:05:39,120 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: whiter hair wearing a mix of poorly tailored suits and 93 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: country club polo shirts fit for the driving range. They 94 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: all kind of looked like my Republican grandfather. The women, meanwhile, 95 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: regardless of age, were all cause playing their favorite female 96 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:57,800 Speaker 1: Fox and News anchor with bleached blonde hair. There were 97 00:05:57,839 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: a handful of delegates as well as Republican super fans 98 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: wearing Trump buttons and mega hats, just really excited to 99 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,480 Speaker 1: be going to the convention, the way a NERD would 100 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: be excited to go to San Diego Comic Con. Others 101 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: at the gate were more subdued, perhaps not wanting to 102 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:16,719 Speaker 1: attract too much attention in the Atlanta airport, but I 103 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: could still overhear them getting into quiet small talk about 104 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: their RNC expectations and in hushed tones, asking others at 105 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: the gate if they were going to the convention. And 106 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: that's what everyone called it, not the Republican Convention, not 107 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:36,599 Speaker 1: the GOP convention or the RNC the convention. As I 108 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: was borning the plane, an older woman with straw like 109 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,919 Speaker 1: blonde hair, sitting a few rows in front of me 110 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: waved me and asked, young man, are you going to 111 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,599 Speaker 1: the convention? I gave my best yes, ma'am, took my seat, 112 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: and then heard her remark to her friend about how 113 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 1: happy she was that more young people are attending the convention. 114 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,800 Speaker 1: And I would suspect she would be quite disappointed to 115 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:02,760 Speaker 1: learn why I was attending the convention and what I 116 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: was doing there, mainly trying to collect as much information 117 00:07:06,360 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: about these weird RNC Grinder Republicans as I can. And 118 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: you will hear more about those weird Grinder RNC Republicans 119 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,360 Speaker 1: after the break. This episode is brought to you in 120 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: part by the top Gun soundtrack, which I was listening 121 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: to as I was coming down from adderall while writing 122 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: the second half of this episode, as well as these 123 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: products and sponsors. Okay, back to the Grind. Most convention 124 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,640 Speaker 1: activities took place in the Peiser Forum, which it took 125 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:49,080 Speaker 1: about four days to learn how to pronounce. This venue 126 00:07:49,120 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: is usually home to the NBA team, the Milwaukee Bucks, 127 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: and this is where I would do most of my 128 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: Grinder cruising so I could see other profiles within the 129 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,320 Speaker 1: radius of the convention area. Every time I walked into 130 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 1: the Pfiser Forum, which was multiple times a day for 131 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: four days in a row, I would find a little 132 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: corner or a place to sit and discreetly boot up 133 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: Grinder and refresh my feed to see what profiles were 134 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: in my proximity. Now, if you're unfamiliar with Grinder. One 135 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:20,720 Speaker 1: of its more terrifying features is the proximity detector, telling 136 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,800 Speaker 1: you what users are near you, whether that be five 137 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: miles away or five feet away. Every night, when I 138 00:08:27,520 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: got back to the hotel after recording with Robert and Sophie, 139 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: I would once again check a Grinder to see if 140 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: any unlucky delegates were put up in the hotels by 141 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: the airport. The hotel we were staying at was also 142 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,680 Speaker 1: home to the Idaho and North Dakota delegates, and though 143 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:45,480 Speaker 1: I don't believe anyone from our hotel was on Grinder, 144 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: save for maybe an anonymous profile or two, there definitely 145 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: were RNC attendees at some of the nearby hotels roughly 146 00:08:53,080 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: fifteen hundred feet away from my bed. The Grinder proximity 147 00:08:57,080 --> 00:09:00,240 Speaker 1: detector was quite useful to me and locating profiles active 148 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: around the footprint of the r and C, as well 149 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: as when sorting through all my messages back home to 150 00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: confirm who attended the rn C from out of state. 151 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: Because Milwaukee is about six hundred and fifty miles away 152 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 1: from Atlanta, if someone's distance marker was substantially different from that, 153 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: I could assume that they were in Milwaukee for the 154 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 1: r and C from out of state, even if I 155 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,559 Speaker 1: wasn't able to confirm through any brief text exchange. I've 156 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: also done my best to follow up with certain profiles 157 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,840 Speaker 1: to rule out possibilities of secondary traveling or other random 158 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,959 Speaker 1: reasons for why their distance markers might not line up exactly. 159 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: And I think they have it narrowed down pretty well. Okay, 160 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:39,199 Speaker 1: you've been very patient, and now I think it's time 161 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:43,200 Speaker 1: to read through the highlights from my grinder in box. 162 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:45,840 Speaker 1: And I gotta say I think I started off pretty strong. 163 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:49,480 Speaker 1: While attending the RNC kickoff party the night before the 164 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:52,320 Speaker 1: convention officially started, I got one of the very first 165 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: messages I received from a twenty one year old Republican 166 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: with the profile picture that's just a close up picture 167 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: of a dark suit with a dark blue shirt and 168 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:06,120 Speaker 1: magenta tie, already horrendous vibes. He asked me if I 169 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: was quote unquote with the GOP and I said I 170 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:12,960 Speaker 1: was attending with friends, and then I got no further response. 171 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,160 Speaker 1: I saw this guy online throughout the convention, and then 172 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: after the convention was over, he moved like three hundred 173 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 1: miles away, so I'm pretty sure he was there for 174 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 1: the RNC. I got a message from someone who identified 175 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:29,719 Speaker 1: himself as a local conservative quote but not a hardcore 176 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: Republican unquote, and he was excited the convention was in town, 177 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: hopeful that he would quote meet my future husband unquote. 178 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: The first chaser I encountered with the bio looking for 179 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,640 Speaker 1: some lady dick to feel in my ass, saw through 180 00:10:46,679 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: my cisgender disguise and messaged me cock question mark. I 181 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: got one other message from a chaser who was pretending 182 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:56,680 Speaker 1: to be Tea for Tea, who asked me if I 183 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,880 Speaker 1: was in town for Kitsu Khan an Anima in Green Bay. 184 00:11:01,559 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: A nice local messaged me, quote hope you're finding what 185 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: you're looking for, smiley face, which was very nice and 186 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: just kind of amusing if you consider that he thought 187 00:11:10,840 --> 00:11:13,440 Speaker 1: I was just a gay Republican looking for some other 188 00:11:13,559 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: gay Republican. Another local with the name older for young 189 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: sent me the message quote boomer, who will talk politics 190 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: with you or we can just fuck. I asked him 191 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:30,800 Speaker 1: if the quote unquote talk politics pickup line works very often, 192 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 1: and he replied quote less often than I would hope. 193 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:38,959 Speaker 1: For On here zero unquote, he mentioned that he had 194 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: noticed some convention attendees on the app telling me that 195 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:46,079 Speaker 1: they have infiltrated Grinder. He then asked me what exact 196 00:11:46,120 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: hotel I was staying at. So that was the end 197 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: of that conversation. A minority of the Milwaukee locals who 198 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: messaged me identified themselves as conservatives and were largely excited 199 00:11:56,160 --> 00:11:59,880 Speaker 1: that the RNC was in town. They vicariously questioned me 200 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,719 Speaker 1: about how the convention was going, as most were disappointed 201 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: that they themselves cannot attend. One such fellaw who described 202 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: Trump's first RNC entrance as electric and a very emotional 203 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: moment for him and the entire crowd unquote, would have 204 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,880 Speaker 1: liked to attend, but he was busy working at the 205 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: hospital because they needed quote extra staffing just in case unquote. Now, 206 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:28,680 Speaker 1: the worst profile picture I found was an older guy 207 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:31,560 Speaker 1: wearing a baseball camp and one of those half faced 208 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: skull masks like Adam Offfen used to wear. He said 209 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,120 Speaker 1: he was from Florida and claimed to be in town 210 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,960 Speaker 1: not for the RNC but to visit family, and mentioned 211 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: that Vance had completely sold out his morals for the 212 00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: VP spot. This guy's politics were impenetrable. Maybe this was 213 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: just like your average Florida Independent. Very baffling fella. A 214 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: younger guy messaged me, asking you're a Republican and I said, 215 00:12:57,880 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: not really putting it lightly, and he never got to me. 216 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:03,439 Speaker 1: I did find a thirty one year old chaser named 217 00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: Greg who I do believe was attending the convention, and 218 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 1: his bio read quote Anon, come drain me trans CD 219 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:15,720 Speaker 1: as crossdresser sissy fem to the front of the line. 220 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: I asked, you like trans and he responded yes. We 221 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: had no further conversation. I did talk with two other 222 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,800 Speaker 1: people who happened to be covering the convention, including one 223 00:13:26,800 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: guy who thought I was with CNN because the Grinder 224 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: proximity sensor put me near the CNN area when I 225 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: was actually using Grinder at the Heritage Foundation party. And lastly, 226 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: really the only guy I saw who openly claims to 227 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,679 Speaker 1: be attending the RNC in his public bio was a 228 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,440 Speaker 1: thirty two year old from Shreveport, Louisiana with the user 229 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: name suck me Off one Word. He described the convention 230 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: as exhausting but awesome and told me he was quote 231 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: proud to support President Trump unquote and called Trump's speech 232 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: on the final day amazing. A lot of the RNC speakers, 233 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,839 Speaker 1: including Trump, talked about Corey Compretour, the man who was 234 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: killed at the Trump rally during the attempted assassination. So 235 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 1: after mister suck me Off talked about how awesome Trump's 236 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:22,240 Speaker 1: speech was, I just replied to him, poor Corey, and 237 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,400 Speaker 1: he messaged me back Corey Who, and that he told 238 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: me what exact hotel he was staying at. Now, part 239 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 1: of the danger of trying to use Grinder directly in 240 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: the middle of the RNC, even discreetly, is that even 241 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: if I'm hunched over on my phone, there is a 242 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,240 Speaker 1: non zero chance that some passer by or persons sitting 243 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:45,239 Speaker 1: right above me might catch a glimpse of an unsolicited 244 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: dick pic that fills my phone screen as I try 245 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 1: to check my messages. And this is simply a non 246 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:55,840 Speaker 1: negotiable part of the Grinder experience. Whatever you do, grainy, unflattering, 247 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: bizarrely angled photos of some balding, forty three year old 248 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: married man will appear in your inbox. Ordinarily, I would 249 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 1: check the profile first to see who might be sending 250 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,880 Speaker 1: me a photo, to weed out the undesirable prospects before 251 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:14,160 Speaker 1: even considering to open up a DM. Unfortunately, multiple factors 252 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 1: prevented me from doing this. For one, this was research, 253 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: so I needed to collect the most amount of data possible. 254 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,800 Speaker 1: But moreover, even if I still wanted to vet for 255 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: applicable profiles in my dms, this was impossible without opening 256 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: up each DM individually and clicking through to their profile 257 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,080 Speaker 1: from the chat log. Due to one of the many 258 00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: glitches I experienced using Grinder at the RNC, about halfway 259 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: through the week, the app started crashing pretty frequently. But 260 00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: the main glitch I had to deal with, which has 261 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:46,280 Speaker 1: since been fixed, is that I could not access anyone's 262 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,040 Speaker 1: profile from the DM's page. I had to click into 263 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:52,840 Speaker 1: each individual chat log to open up a user profile, 264 00:15:53,280 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: which meant I had to look at a lot more 265 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: unsolicited dick pics before even being able to check anyone's profile. 266 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: So there I was watching Ted Cruise's speech, sitting underneath 267 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: about fifty Republicans and right next to both of my bosses, 268 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 1: scrolling through an endless stream of dick picks to see 269 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: who was local and who was here for the R 270 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: and C, hoping that whatever Republican voter from Alabama wasn't 271 00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:21,360 Speaker 1: looking over my shoulder at the plethora of dimly lit hog, 272 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: but I was far from the only one reporting issues 273 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:27,960 Speaker 1: with the app during the r and C. Around midday 274 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: on Tuesday, the second day of the convention, over a 275 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 1: thousand users reported a Grinder outage in the Milwaukee area 276 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: on the website down Detector. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote 277 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: on the final day of the r and C that quote, 278 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: reports of the Grinder app crashing increased by more than 279 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: ninety percent in the past forty eight hours across the 280 00:16:46,520 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: country unquote. The down detector heat map showed Grinder outages 281 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,800 Speaker 1: in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as 282 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: a hot spot of outages in Milwaukee near the end 283 00:16:56,760 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 1: of the convention, indicating users were experience and sing issues 284 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:04,400 Speaker 1: with the app, possibly due to an increase in activity, 285 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,280 Speaker 1: and you will hear more about that activity after this 286 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:11,199 Speaker 1: ad break. This episode of It Could Happen Here is 287 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: brought to you in part by the Challenger's soundtrack remix 288 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,879 Speaker 1: by Boys Noise, which I was listening to as I 289 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: wrote most of this episode while on the plane back 290 00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:25,040 Speaker 1: to Atlanta. This episode is also brought to you by 291 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 1: these products and services. We once again return to the grind. 292 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:41,960 Speaker 1: We gotta keep on grinding. We're almost done, but we 293 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,479 Speaker 1: got to grind a little more. Just one more grind 294 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: bro I swear about addictors on more grind broachs one 295 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: more grind. During the influx of reports about the Grinder 296 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 1: app breaking during the RNC, a post from the Twitter 297 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 1: account for the Halfway Post went extremely viral, bolstering claims 298 00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: of a massive increase in activity. Quote breaking, an executive 299 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: of the gay dating app Grinder says the Republican National 300 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:12,560 Speaker 1: Convention is quote basically Grinder's super Bowl unquote. This quote 301 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,879 Speaker 1: from a Grinder executive went super viral, prompting discussions all 302 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,760 Speaker 1: over the Internet about five different articles and even disgraced 303 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 1: former New York Congressman George Sentos commented on the phenomenon 304 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 1: content warning, gay Republican, so. 305 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:36,040 Speaker 2: Grinder executives are calling the RNC convention the Grinder super Bowl. Folks. Look, 306 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 2: I'm openly gay, no qualms about it. Proud conservative Republican. 307 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 2: I met my husband on Grinder and we've been together 308 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 2: for six years going on seven, married. 309 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:49,360 Speaker 1: For almost three. 310 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 2: Let me tell you something. 311 00:18:51,560 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: Just come out the closet. Boys, Come on, it's fun. 312 00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:59,879 Speaker 2: You can be gay and conservative, but look, Grinder's already 313 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 2: anyway based on the hits, and guess who's in town. 314 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 2: It's all you conservatives. 315 00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:09,359 Speaker 1: By now, I certainly did observe a lot of blank 316 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,320 Speaker 1: or anonymous profiles, at least more than I'm used to. 317 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,640 Speaker 1: I also received messages containing variations of hey sexy from 318 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:20,159 Speaker 1: at least five accounts that have since been deactivated. And 319 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: this does line up with a report from a Milwaukee 320 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:25,800 Speaker 1: area Grinder user who spoke with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 321 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: saying that he noticed a major bump in anonymous users. Quote. 322 00:19:29,880 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: On any given day, you'll go on there and see 323 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,760 Speaker 1: a headless torso or a blank profile, said the source, 324 00:19:34,760 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: who did not want to be named. The Grinder user said, 325 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: on a normal day, you'll encounter maybe ten users with 326 00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: no public profile. But Thursday, when he checked the app, 327 00:19:43,400 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: he said he stopped counting at fifty blank profile photos unquote. Now, 328 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,480 Speaker 1: we don't have any official data yet on Grinder usage 329 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:53,960 Speaker 1: near the twenty twenty four R and C only the 330 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:57,640 Speaker 1: down detector reports which our user submitted, but we do 331 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:01,160 Speaker 1: at least have data from the last in person convention 332 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,440 Speaker 1: in Cleveland, Ohio. All the Way Back in twenty sixteen, 333 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: a Vice article by Candice Brian spoke with sources from 334 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,360 Speaker 1: Grinder and wrote that quote, Grinder usage near the Quick 335 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 1: and Loans Arena showed a sixty six percent increase during 336 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 1: the RNC. Other active destinations including Times Square, Capitol Hill, Disneyland, 337 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: South Beach, and Trump Tower showed no comparable increase in 338 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:27,639 Speaker 1: active users. Unquote. Many of the local twinks and trans 339 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: folks certainly were concerned about possible RNC freaks hiding on 340 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 1: the app. People would often first ask me if I 341 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:37,440 Speaker 1: was a Republican or why I was in town before 342 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: trying to hit on me. One such twink told me, quote, 343 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: I would be surprised if you were a delegate or something, 344 00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 1: but I had to check. As the week progressed, more 345 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 1: locals told me that they had found a handful of 346 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:54,320 Speaker 1: out and proud patriots online, but really not many. In fact, 347 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:58,000 Speaker 1: multiple Milwaukee locals I chatted with on Grinder did claim 348 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:02,040 Speaker 1: to notice an uptick in users, but mostly recognizable local 349 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,800 Speaker 1: users who were online for the same reason I was 350 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 1: to see if there was an influx of closet Republicans. 351 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: Someone told me, quote, for the record, it's like three 352 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:14,640 Speaker 1: times busier here than normal. Everyone is out to see 353 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: what the Republicans are up to, and the chasers have 354 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,879 Speaker 1: come out of the woodwork unquote. Far from being the 355 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 1: app's super Bowl. According to Weis, the twenty sixteen rnc's 356 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:28,600 Speaker 1: sixty six percent bump in activity is less than one 357 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: half of the increase in Grinder activity that was seen 358 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:35,840 Speaker 1: at the last in person DNC, an event which was 359 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:40,680 Speaker 1: also a whole day shorter I'll rage from Wece quote. However, 360 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,919 Speaker 1: from Sunday to Monday, the week of the Democratic National Convention, 361 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 1: there was an even higher one hundred and forty eight 362 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:52,480 Speaker 1: percent increase in activity around the Wells Fargo Arena in Philadelphia. Quote. 363 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:56,560 Speaker 1: It's also worth noting that of that sixty six percent 364 00:21:56,600 --> 00:21:58,639 Speaker 1: increase in activity around the twenty sixteen r and C, 365 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,879 Speaker 1: only about forty percent of those users were visiting Cleveland, 366 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:07,280 Speaker 1: most were locals. Meanwhile, sixty percent of Grinder users active 367 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: near the DNC in Philadelphia were visiting the city. Oh, 368 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:14,679 Speaker 1: and that quote from a Grinder executive calling the RNZ 369 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,359 Speaker 1: Grinder's super Bowl, as well as George Sandos's other claim 370 00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:22,360 Speaker 1: about Grinder purposely outing gay conservatives. Both of those claims 371 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: originate from Twitter satire accounts. It is totally made up, 372 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: pure fiction. It's fiction. It's fiction. 373 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 2: We made it up. We made this one up. 374 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: It's a made up tail. It's a total fabrication. It 375 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 1: never happened. It's an urban legend that never happened. So no, 376 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: the RNZ is not Grinder's a super Bowl. I got 377 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: messages from over one hundred and fifty different people. Over 378 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: ninety percent of the messages I received and profiles visible 379 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:54,680 Speaker 1: online even while inside the Pfizer forum were from locals 380 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 1: completely unaffiliated with the rn Z, and any boost activity 381 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:01,639 Speaker 1: that can be attributed to people for the RNC is 382 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,960 Speaker 1: a minuscule drop in the bucket compared to the proverbial 383 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,959 Speaker 1: orgy festival of out of town gay Democrats who travel 384 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,960 Speaker 1: to the DNC and like, if you think about this logically, 385 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: this shouldn't at all be surprising. The Republican Party has 386 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 1: spent the past two years screaming about how all drag 387 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 1: queens are child groomers, and though this was the first 388 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,719 Speaker 1: year the GOP has removed opposition to gay marriage from 389 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,560 Speaker 1: their party platform, they have massively increased their opposition to 390 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 1: and attacks against trans people, and really any display of 391 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 1: a visible queerness, like come on, this is the Republican Party. 392 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 1: There's this kind of fucked up cultural conception that homophobic 393 00:23:41,240 --> 00:23:45,479 Speaker 1: politicians must be so because they are secretly gay. And 394 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: while there is the occasional like Lindsey Graham or repressed 395 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 1: homosexual preacher, this is not the norm and all Republicans 396 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:58,680 Speaker 1: being secretly gay is not the driving force of legislative homophobia. 397 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: It is an ideal logical drive, largely in furtherance of 398 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,919 Speaker 1: hegemonic Christian nationalism, and now for people like Elon Musk 399 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:10,399 Speaker 1: and more, young Republicans of fascistic notion of reproductive futurism 400 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:14,160 Speaker 1: built on fears that young people white people aren't having 401 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:18,439 Speaker 1: enough white babies, which they partially attribute to society becoming 402 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,639 Speaker 1: more accepting of gay and trans people, resulting in people 403 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:26,200 Speaker 1: having less reproductive or heterosexual sex. Never mind the fact 404 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,720 Speaker 1: that queer and trans people oftentimes can and do have children, 405 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: which still doesn't seem to please these conservatives, as it 406 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: doesn't align with their traditionalist view of the family unit. 407 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,239 Speaker 1: So no Grinder wasn't flooded with closeted Republicans because there 408 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 1: simply isn't that many closeted Republicans that are going to 409 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 1: be attending the RNC, And while there may not be 410 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,040 Speaker 1: as many Republicans as I thought there might be, I 411 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,960 Speaker 1: do believe that I have the bump in activity, albeit 412 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 1: a smaller bump than rumored. Basically figured out based on 413 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,160 Speaker 1: my anecdotal experience and the reports of a han full 414 00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:02,959 Speaker 1: of local Grinder users and journalists I talked with who 415 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: were online during the twenty twenty four rn C, and 416 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 1: considering the twenty sixteen Grinder data, I can report that 417 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,600 Speaker 1: merely a small minority of activity was due to ordinary 418 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:18,440 Speaker 1: RNZ attendees. The majority of activity was from locals who 419 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,640 Speaker 1: either regularly used Grinder or were specifically curious about who 420 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:27,400 Speaker 1: might be online during the RNC. I observed two more 421 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,119 Speaker 1: groups that would contribute to any noticeable increase in activity. 422 00:25:31,760 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: Not everyone who attends the RNC are guests or delegates. 423 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,639 Speaker 1: A lot of people work at the convention center or 424 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 1: work tech, and a sizeable chunk of people are like 425 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: myself researchers, polsters, or journalists who attend conventions like this 426 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: for work. And lastly, the final group that fills out 427 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,240 Speaker 1: the bump in Grinder activity. One that I for some 428 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:55,119 Speaker 1: reason didn't really expect to see upon arrival, but in 429 00:25:55,160 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: retrospect makes total sense. Are cops so many? There were 430 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:04,679 Speaker 1: so many cops online at the RNC, just like delegates 431 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:07,280 Speaker 1: or reporters. They are coming to town from all around 432 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:12,280 Speaker 1: the country. There was cops or state troopers from Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, 433 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:16,360 Speaker 1: North Carolina, California, Indiana, and many more states, as well 434 00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: as US Capitol Police, Secret Service, TSA, DHS, and FBI. 435 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: They were all in town as a part of the 436 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,080 Speaker 1: security detail. A few of the guys that messaged me 437 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:28,960 Speaker 1: I can absolutely confirm are one hundred percent police or 438 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:32,240 Speaker 1: some kind of military police. A thirty three year old 439 00:26:32,280 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: cop or military guy quote looking for sexy bottoms with 440 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 1: the tag's jock, military discreete and weightlifting, as well as 441 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 1: many pictures of him in the gym. Said it in 442 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,880 Speaker 1: his bio that he was quote really into slim, skinny 443 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: toned and muscular people. He messaged me saying, Hey, now 444 00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,280 Speaker 1: I got a lot of haze in my inbox, which 445 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,400 Speaker 1: is not unusual for Grinder. You will pry mostly get 446 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: hay as a message as well as just like you know, 447 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 1: a picture of someone's penis, but between a penis and hey, 448 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:08,040 Speaker 1: those are probably the two most received messages you will 449 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,040 Speaker 1: get on Grinder. There was another guy with a username 450 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 1: DL military who said in his bio he was working 451 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,480 Speaker 1: security for the week and that Grinder messages had completely 452 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:21,840 Speaker 1: broke for him and to instead message him on Snapchat. 453 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: The DL in DL military stands for down low. It's 454 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,360 Speaker 1: a tag that only the worst people on Grinder will use, 455 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 1: mainly like self hating gay men who are closeted, and 456 00:27:34,119 --> 00:27:36,160 Speaker 1: it's download because they don't want to be like publicly 457 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,679 Speaker 1: seen being gay. Just absolutely the worst. We do not 458 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,840 Speaker 1: fuck with DL, both literally and figuratively. There were a 459 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,120 Speaker 1: bunch of other non locals who I would describe as 460 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 1: cop types. I can't one hundred percent say for sure 461 00:27:50,880 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 1: that they are cops, but they have like the look, 462 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: you know, like the look the cop look. I don't know. 463 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,200 Speaker 1: They could also be like a bodyguard or working private secure. 464 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:05,040 Speaker 1: But one of these cop looking guys message to me 465 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: asking if I was a trans guy, which I always 466 00:28:07,240 --> 00:28:09,400 Speaker 1: loved to see. It means I'm doing gender very well. 467 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,639 Speaker 1: And a few other cop types sent relatively boring messages. 468 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: So yeah, A lot of cops, which is not completely 469 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 1: surprising considering the fact that basically half the cops in 470 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: the country were at the Republican National Convention in some 471 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:27,680 Speaker 1: form or another. A few final notes, Now this didn't 472 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:30,440 Speaker 1: really make up a sizable chunk of the Grinder population, 473 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,639 Speaker 1: but after saying I was just covering the RNC, a 474 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,919 Speaker 1: couple of people on Grinder, just completely unprompted, told me 475 00:28:37,960 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: that they were attending the protests against the RNC. Please 476 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 1: do not do this. That's a horrible idea for multiple reasons. 477 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 1: You gotta stop talking about your political activities on dating apps, 478 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: especially Grinder, especially at the RNC. Horrible idea. Do not 479 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 1: do this. And despite my lazy attempt at a young 480 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: Republican disguised online profile, a few too many people did 481 00:29:02,160 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: recognize me from Twitter or the pod, but they were 482 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: very nice. They gave me some recommendations for what gay 483 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: bars to check out after conventioned hours, and one person 484 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 1: told me this interesting anecdote that I'd like to share. Quote, 485 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 1: I don't think Trump is going to win. I can 486 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 1: missed for Hillary in twenty sixteen, and at least here 487 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: it doesn't feel the same. Unquote. I thought that was 488 00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: a little interesting tibit that I received at probably round 489 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: three am on grinder, So there you go. Anyway, that 490 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 1: was my RNC Grinder experience. I'm sorry to report it 491 00:29:32,760 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 1: is not the hotbed of closeted Republicans that we mean 492 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:40,080 Speaker 1: it to be. It's mostly local gaze, a few reporters 493 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,400 Speaker 1: and a few more cops. I do not think I'll 494 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:47,400 Speaker 1: be reporting on the DNC Grinder, but I am curious 495 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: to see if there is a sizeable increase in activity 496 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 1: as compared to the RNC Grinder, So I guess I 497 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: will maybe posted by that on Twitter at Hungry bow 498 00:29:58,200 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: Tie if you want updates on that. Anyway, stay safe 499 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: out there. Be careful if you're ever on grinder. Please 500 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: especially don't tell someone covering the RNC that you're attending 501 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,320 Speaker 1: any protests. But in general, be careful on these types 502 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:12,719 Speaker 1: of dating apps and I will see you on the 503 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: other side. Message from Quickie Grinder said you were super 504 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: close yesterday. Wasn't stalking? I promise? Message from birthday present emoji. 505 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:30,520 Speaker 1: I almost thought you were Josh Thomas. Message from anonymous 506 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:34,960 Speaker 1: wait are you pro or anti Republican? I'm not gonna lie. 507 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,360 Speaker 1: I mainly asked your politics because I thought you were cute, 508 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 1: but I didn't want to hit on a Trumper message 509 00:30:40,320 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 1: from older for young. Aren't all the delegates propositioning you? 510 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:51,120 Speaker 1: You're cute? Message from anonymous? Why establish a detlitarian state 511 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:55,240 Speaker 1: if I can't breed? It's a dictator message from suck 512 00:30:55,360 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 1: me off. I'm down for anything. Lol. Are you supporting Trump? Ha? Ha? 513 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 1: It could happen here as a production of cool Zone Media. 514 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 515 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: Coolzonemedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 516 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,560 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can 517 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 1: find sources for It could Happen Here, updated monthly at 518 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 1: coolzonmedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening.