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Lex, the dating and social app that launched in 2019 as a tribute to 80s lesbian personal ads, is changing. Exactly how much is an open question though. Sure, the venture-backed startup behind the queer app put on a new coat of paint last week, but the refocus on “friends and community” is enough to make some users feel like Lex is a beloved raunchy. I’m afraid I’m scraping the essence.
Home to naughty and wholesome encounters, this text-based service has grown over the last few years into something of a queer community newspaper. A place for women, transgender, genderqueer, and non-binary people to announce their encounters, find tickets to her concerts, share poetry, and crack. Joke or just cruise. Given its breadth and silliness, the app inspires smiles and wide-eyed looks among queer people in my orbit.
Lex fills a need typically avoided by mainstream technology. Craigslist, famous for upending the newspaper advertising business, shut down its online personal ads feature a year before Lex launched. On the other hand, social he giants such as Meta and TikTok have a rather purist attitude towards sex and sexuality. Apple, which sets the ground rules for mainstream apps through the App Store, is also utterly disrespectful. Due to the censorship-prone gatekeepers of the tech industry and the broader pattern of businesses sanitizing and then monetizing queer culture, many LGBTQIA+ people are reasonably wary of social media.
So it’s no surprise that Lex’s “new look” and “new direction” announcement misled people, even though she continues to post thirsty posts on the app.
Lex announced the redesign on January 26, highlighting its role in helping people find “LGBTQ+ friends and the queer community.” The press release showed the app’s evolution from “dating app to vibrant social platform.” Instagram post highlighted the shift from personal ads to group chats and meetups. The startup uses the meme that inspired its founding to describe its origins (sharing lesbian images and encounters on Instagram) and the trance of his tea-her party with “scones and jam.” Contrast with your post.
But, in short, is Rex trying to clean himself up? The uproar I observed in response to the redesign wasn’t universal, but it was swift.
“Oh my God… queer shit is sacred and not a commodity,” one user said in a public post. Another poster wrote: While I appreciate efforts to improve Lex for platonic queer relationships, I hate the new culture of sanitizing the internet and washing our sexuality from every platform. ”
Newex is green. The old Rex was blue. Image credit: rex
Others praised and criticized Rex’s new look. One user said the redesign made the app more comfortable, while another said it was cute. Here’s what I said about the app’s new color scheme: But at least it’s not on Twitter.”
Lex user Lily told me she hates shifts. “Queer space is moving away from the sex center = succumbing to a homophobic society,” she said, revealing: You are trying to say another usage (i.e. sex). Another user said the app looked more disruptive before it was redesigned.
One user told me: What I loved about the original lex is the craigslist feel. ” As yet another user warns: Watch the annual Pride Twist Ban Debate. Also, look at how often it’s been said that spaces shouldn’t have signs of sexuality if they want gay rights to be respected. ”
Later, a new user who joined after the redesign told me that he felt “missed lol” when he saw the complaint.
Asked about the app’s direction, Lex founder Kel Rakowski told TechCrunch that the company “surveyed thousands of Lexers and found that the overwhelming majority are platforms for finding queer friends and communities in their area. I know you want to,” he said. Rakowski pointed me to his user research signup page and said Lex pays users for their feedback. The founder and CEO says Lex’s “all-queer team” “manages all product decisions.” “Our investors will never interfere with Lex’s vision,” she added.
On the topic of sex, Rakowski said: It’s their space to connect for love, friendship, and more. ”
According to the bottom of Lex’s terms and conditions page, the company last updated its policy on November 1, 2022. The Terms of Service state that users agree that their content will not contain “obscene, pornographic, violent, or sexually explicit material.” Lex’s terminology defines content as “any text, image, video, audio, or other material.” In other words, the company retains the ability to remove sexy posts, but that doesn’t mean it actively does so. In the founder’s words, “One of the reasons we moved away from building Lex as an app and hosting it on Instagram was to get around meta regulations independently.”
When asked, Lex declined to reveal how many people are using the app, but Rakowski said the service is “growing rapidly in cities across the country.” The top cities are New York and Chicago.” [and] LA.” The 10-person team behind Lex has raised at least $1.5 million to date from investors including Corigin Ventures, Bumble Fund, and Bonobos founder Andy Dunn.
Do you know anything about Rex’s new direction? Contact this reporter via twitter or email.
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