Trans and gay dating: the sites and apps, and the countries where they are a trap

Apps for gay and bisexual men

Grindr (2009, Los Angeles): the most used in the world, some ten million monthly users, location-based, free with a subscription tier; quick meetings more than relationships, but everything is found there. Its location data has been sold to brokers and its safety is weak in hostile countries (see below).
Scruff (2010): a slightly older, more "bear" crowd, travel and event features; Hornet (2011): strong in Russia, Turkey, Brazil and Asia, with a news feed; Romeo (PlanetRomeo, Berlin, 2002): the historic German- and Dutch-speaking network, also on the web; Recon and Growlr for targeted audiences; Jack'd popular among Black and Latino men in the US.
The generalists — Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid, Hinge, Match — offer orientation filters; OkCupid and Tinder have offered dozens of gender and orientation options since 2016–19.

For lesbian, bi and queer women

HER (2013, San Francisco) is the reference, with events in the big cities; Lex (text personals, no photos), Zoe, Feeld (for non-conventional relationships) and Bumble in women-women mode complete the picture; trans women are admitted depending on the app, and sometimes poorly received.

For trans people and those seeking them

Fiorry (2019): designed for trans and non-binary people, with profile verification and a support community; Butterfly (2019, UK): reserved for trans people and those wishing to meet them, with built-in translation; Taimi (2017): generalist "LGBTQ+", heavily used by trans people; Transdr, Tser, TransSingle and MyTransgenderDate (2014, aimed at lasting relationships, human moderation): niche sites, some of which live off fantasy more than off meeting.
On generalist apps trans women face fetishism (the chasers, who want an experience and hide the relationship) and brutal rejection once their history is known; many state it in the profile to filter, others wait for the first meeting — each her own rule, and no legal obligation to disclose in the UK, US, Canada or Australia.

The countries where the app is a trap

Where homosexuality is repressed, police and gangs use the apps to lure, arrest or extort. In Egypt, police officers create fake Grindr profiles to arrest gay men and trans women, prosecuted for "debauchery" (dozens of arrests a year documented by Human Rights Watch); in Morocco in 2020 an outing campaign based on Grindr profiles led to evictions from family homes and suicides; in Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Kenya, gangs (kito) set up a meeting, beat, film and ransom; in Uganda, the 2023 Act carries life imprisonment and denunciation is encouraged; in Russia, since the 2023 ruling declaring the "LGBT movement" extremist, using an app can bring prosecution; in the Gulf states, Iran, Indonesia (Aceh), Malaysia, police run targeted raids; in Jamaica and parts of the Caribbean, ambushes are frequent. Grindr, Hornet and Scruff hide distance and warn users in these countries; it is not enough. Minimum rules when travelling: no app on the phone at the border, no face photo, no exact location, meetings only in public places recommended by trusted people, and the embassy's number. The country pages of Sexual orientation and of Travel give each country's law.

Safety everywhere

Sextortion: an attractive profile obtains intimate images then threatens to send them to family or employer — gay men who are not out and trans people are the first targets. Never pay, cut contact, keep the evidence, report to the platform and the police (Action Fraud in the UK, the FBI's IC3 in the US); images can be taken down via StopNCII.org.
Ambushes: homophobic attacks organised through apps happen in Western countries too (several trials a year in the UK and US); first meeting in a public place, a friend told, location shared.
Outing: screenshots, shared profiles — the risk exists everywhere; caution with recognisable photos and life details.
Health: regular testing, PrEP (free on the NHS since 2020, covered by most US insurance and Medicare, free in Australia and Canada's provinces) and vaccinations; the apps themselves remind users of testing dates.