Letter from the founder

I built Collective because LGBTQ+ people deserve a friendlier, healthier way to connect.

Let's be honest: the options for meeting other LGBTQ+ people suck. Most of our bars and community spaces have closed down or turned into luxury apartments, and existing apps leave a lot to be desired. Posting on Instagram feels awkward and cringe at best. When Grindr isn't spamming you with ads, it's crashing before you can ask someone what they're into. And Twitter/X? It's somehow both a porn site and a far-right content farm. The situation is even bleaker if you're a queer woman, non-binary, or trans.

Despite us being more visible than ever, LGBTQ+ people are increasingly isolated, lonely, and fragmented. The data doesn't lie: we are twice as likely to suffer from severe loneliness and social isolation than our cis straight peers*.

To make matters worse, there are fewer offline spaces than ever for LGBTQ+ people. Over 60% of gay and lesbian bars have closed and those that remain often prioritize drug and alcohol consumption over other types of connection*.

Apps like Grindr, Instagram, and Twitter have failed the LGBTQ+ community. These giant companies claim to connect us, but they're making our community lonelier and more isolated:

1. 77% of Grindr users say that the app makes them feel more isolated and lonely* and its focus on hookups means it fails to serve people seeking deeper connections – and it doesn't cater to queer women at all.
2. Instagram disproportionately suppresses and removes LGBTQ+ content through wrongful takedowns, demonetization, and shadowbanning while failing to address the huge volume of anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech on the platform*.
3. Twitter/X was named "the most dangerous platform for LGBTQ+ people" by GLAAD as they actively remove protections for LGBTQ+ users and design the service to encourage division and hate*.

I believe we deserve better.

We're dealing with an epidemic of loneliness and despair – can you feel it? This crisis has become so big and far-reaching that many of us find it difficult to talk about or even acknowledge. We need new ways to meet and form positive, meaningful connections.

Collective is different: it's not a hookup app and it's not another platform to build a following. Collective's focus is on meeting new people. It's designed from the ground up to help LGBTQ+ people build deeper connections, from friends or lovers, and everything in between. Every detail is designed to actively facilitate and encourage members to meet up in person, offline, and build the kind of community we all need.

I grew up in a tiny farm town with one traffic light and more churches than people. Feeling isolated as a queer person was my reality, and I know first-hand just how damaging loneliness can be. When I later built a career in tech, learning to connect people on a global scale, I realized that LGBTQ+ folks were still being left behind.

That's why I've spent the last three years building Collective – to help create the community I wish I had when I was younger. Our mission is to end loneliness among LGBTQ+ people by making it easy to find connection, belonging, and love.

We're pioneering a healthier, more authentic type of social media. On Collective, you see people's interests and hobbies. You don't see how many followers they have, or the number of likes they receive. It's a space for connecting, not performing. It's a home for queer expression and creativity.

We're committed to creating an inclusive space that can uplift the voices of trans, non-binary, and queer women members, rather than just cis gay men. Regardless of whether you’re looking for friends, romance, activity partners, artistic collaborators, local guides for a trip abroad, or any other type of connection, Collective’s emphasis is on bridging divides and fostering queer solidarity and togetherness. We're building an LGBTQ+ super-app that connects you to a global queer community. Meet queer creatives and travel buddies, find love, intimacy, romance, and emotional support, meet activity partners and learn about queer events, or get career advice and job opportunities.

I'll admit, this is an ambitious vision. But if it sounds like a future that you want too, you can help us make it a reality by becoming a premium subscriber.

I pay for Collective's operational costs myself and these expenses have increased rapidly as the app grows in popularity. I’ve done this because I believe there's an urgent need for a new kind of platform. With your support, we can grow the app, build new features, and reach more diverse queer people around the world.

Whether you choose to subscribe or not, you're already part of a movement that's much bigger than an app – you're helping to create new ways for LGBTQ+ people to get to know and support each other in a deeper way.

Thank you for being an essential part of Collective. With you here, our community feels a little more connected. You belong here. Love, Callum • Collective Founder

*Data sources: Vox, Just Like Us, Oxford Academic Journal of Public Health, GLAAD Social Media Safety Index, NBC News, Reuters.