Zero Discrimination Day: Innovation Must Reach Everyone

March 1 marks #ZeroDiscriminationDay — a reminder that health is not a privilege; it’s a right. 

For LGBTQ+ communities, discrimination often shows up in quiet but consequential ways: a provider who isn’t affirming. A clinic visit that feels unsafe. Confusion about insurance eligibility. Fear of being judged when asking about PrEP. Or deciding not to seek care at all.

At Grindr for Equality (G4E), in partnership with the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), we are working to reduce those barriers by turning Grindr into a digital doorway to trusted, community-led HIV prevention and support services

After the success of Grindr’s HIV Self-Testing program — now active across 16 markets — we are expanding into Prevention Ecosystems: an approach that mobilizes demand for a full continuum of services, including HIV self-testing, in-person testing, PrEP, PEP, DoxyPEP, ART, harm reduction, and mental health support.

Zero discrimination means prevention must not only exist — it must be accessible, affordable, and safe.

When Digital Outreach Becomes Real-World Care in South Africa

In South Africa, our collaboration with Triangle Project & ANOVA shows how digital engagement translates into meaningful service access. Campaigns on Grindr increased awareness of STI testing, HIV self-testing, and crisis support services — and peer navigators are converting referrals into confirmed service connections, ensuring that outreach results in real follow-through.

Sharon Cox, Health and Support Services Manager at Triangle Project, reflects:

“When someone experiences violence or is afraid to walk into a clinic, the biggest hurdle is often that first step. Seeing affirming information in a space they already trust lowers that barrier. We’ve seen people reach out sooner through Grindr — and that can change everything.”

This is what a rights-based approach looks like in action: lowering barriers before harm compounds and ensuring people can exercise their right to care.

Lowering Barriers Before Someone Walks Through the Door in Colombia

In Colombia, our partnership with Red Somos demonstrates how digital tools can reach individuals who might otherwise remain invisible.

Through a chatbot linked to Grindr, users can engage privately by asking questions about HIV testing, PrEP, ART, STI services, and mental health support without immediately disclosing their identity in person. For many, that digital buffer is what makes outreach possible.

As Miguel Barriga, Executive Director at Red Somos shared:

“Many people want PrEP but assume it’s unaffordable or complicated. When they connect with us through Grindr, we can explain their options and guide them through enrollment. Often, what feels impossible becomes manageable once someone has trusted support.”

Prevention Ecosystems are designed to generate interest and dismantle the quiet obstacles of fear, bureaucracy, and affordability.

Strengthening Prevention Pathways in Asia

In Vietnam, we work closely with Lighthouse to integrate HIV self-testing, PrEP education, and mental health outreach into ongoing campaigns. Through regular in-app messaging, Lighthouse now distributes hundreds of HIV self-test kits nationwide each month, ensuring prevention remains visible and accessible throughout the year.

Similarly, in the Philippines, our collaboration with Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP) includes weekly national HIV self-testing and tele-PrEP campaigns across more than ten cities. These efforts are driving measurable increases in PrEP uptake, with a surge in new clients following targeted promotional outreach on Grindr.

Preparing for Long-Acting Prevention — Without Repeating Old Mistakes

As the HIV prevention landscape evolves, long-acting tools such as lenacapavir hold significant promise. For some individuals, long-acting injectable prevention may reduce daily pill burden, increase discretion, and better align with their lives.

But innovation alone does not eliminate discrimination. Unlike HIV self-tests — which can be used privately — injectable prevention requires facility-based visits. That means engaging directly with providers and clinic environments that may not always be LGBTQ-competent or affirming. 

As Tung Doan, Executive Director of Lighthouse, said, 

“We saw this during the early rollout of oral PrEP. Uptake was often slowed not by lack of demand, but by stigma in clinical settings. Scale improved when community-based distribution models expanded, when peer education increased, and when providers received culturally competent training.”

In addition, long-acting injectable prevention is significantly more expensive at rollout than existing oral options, raising urgent questions about pricing, insurance coverage, and global access.

If long-acting prevention is to reach those most affected by HIV, we must:

• Strengthen LGBTQ-competent provider training
• Expand community-linked referral and navigation systems
• Advocate for pricing and procurement models that do not exclude low- and middle-income countries
• Use digital platforms to normalize and educate early

Designing Access Into the Rollout

Grindr connects millions of gay, bi, trans, and queer adults globally. Through Grindr for Equality, we are using that reach responsibly — amplifying trusted community partners who ensure that prevention is delivered with dignity.

On Zero Discrimination Day, we reaffirm a simple principle:

Innovation must narrow gaps — not widen them.
Care must be affirming.
And prevention must reach everyone. 

When connection is paired with community leadership, intentional design and resources, we move closer to a world where discrimination no longer determines who can exercise their right to health.