Grindr, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ dating and hookup app, has been popular in DC for more than a decade. But last year, the company did something unexpected: It launched a Washington policy operation, naming Joe Hack as its first head of global government affairs. So why does a hookup app need a p olicy wing? Hack, a former congressional aide and executive at the Daschle Group, has been advocating on behalf of the app’s 15 million users, making the rounds on Capitol Hill. Part of his job is reframing what Grindr actually is. Beyond quick encounters and shirtless grid photos, he argues, the company operates at the intersection of tech­nology, identity, and wellness. “Grindr is not just a tech company or the largest gay company on the planet,” he says. “It’s also a public-health company.” As anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric has put increasing pressure on access to healthcare, Grindr has expanded its role as a discreet place for users to access things like medications and free HIV self-testing kits. In 2025, it launched the telehealth service Woodwork, allowing users to request prescriptions for medications such as erectile-dysfunction treatments directly through the app. Hack says the company continues to receive bipartisan federal support as one of the CDC’s top partners in HIV prevention, a situation that hasn’t changed under the Trump administration. Grindr is also pressing lawmakers on issues like digital safety and privacy. Over the past year, Hack has lobbied in support of the App Store Accountability Act, which would require app stores—not individual apps—to verify user ages before downloads. The goal, he says, is to prevent minors from accessing adult platforms without forcing them to submit facial scans or upload government-­issued IDs, methods that critics argue are invasive and prone to error. Hack says the company is still figuring out where it can have the greatest impact. Grindr remains, in his words, a “sexy brand”—and much of his time on Capitol Hill is spent explaining the realities of LGBTQ+ life to lawmakers who may be unfamiliar. He’s also having conversations with legislators to advocate for continued global HIV-prevention funding, framing it as a human-rights issue. Next on the agenda: expanding access to legal aid, supporting LGBTQ+ family-­formation rights—including tax equity for same-sex couples and surrogacy protections—and finding ways to carefully integrate AI into the Grindr app. For the first time this year, the company will also host a party for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. At the moment, Grindr’s DC operation is just Hack, who works from home. But the plan is to open a physical office and also expand the team, signaling that Grindr’s policy presence is more than an experiment. “Managing 190 countries, 50 states, and a federal government as one human is not the easiest,” Hack says. “I’m excited to have help.” Related Why One Street Corner Now Rules DC’s LGBTQ Bar Scene This article appears in the April 2026 issue of Washingtonian.The post Why Did Grindr Launch a DC Policy Wing? first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less