Archer, a New App Changing Gay Dating Culture

The Short Version: Match, Grindr, and Tinder are household names… but have you heard of Archer? Match Group launched Archer in the summer of 2023, and this social-first gay dating app is already turning heads, with over 100,000 downloads. It’s more than a dating app, though: Archer mixes social media with dating to help gay, queer, and bisexual men connect, celebrate who they are, and flourish. We talked with Michael Kaye, Archer’s Director of Brand Marketing & Communications, about how the app hopes to transform the gay dating scene.

Whoever you are, you probably join a dating app hoping for what almost everyone wants: a real connection.

For gay men, though, that’s far harder to find.

The reality is that LGBT+ singles experience online dating in a completely different way than straight singles do. In one survey, 69% of queer singles reported facing at least one type of harassment, versus 52% of straight singles.

The harassment gay men commonly encounter ranges from name-calling, persistent contact, and explicit content they never asked for to threats of physical harm or threats tied to their privacy and identities.

Built by gay men with gay men in mind, Archer is the first-ever social and dating app of its kind.

Those are exactly the problems that Archer, a newly launched, social-first dating app serving queer, bisexual, and gay communities, sets out to confront and fix.

“We know there’s a lot of bad behavior on gay dating apps, especially in terms of body shaming, catfishing, and racism,” according to Michael Kaye, Archer’s brand marketing & communication director. “But that’s not something we tolerate here. Archer is an open place with something for everyone, whether you’re looking for dates, friendships, something casual, or exploring open relationships.”

From Hiding to Celebrating

Gay culture keeps changing. Subjects that used to be seen as taboo and dangerous to bring up are now welcomed openly.

Gay men once had to hide who they were, but the app’s research shows that today’s generation is more open and proud than any before it.

“We’ve made a lot of progress over the past 10 years as a community, not just gay men, but also the LGBTQ+ community as a whole,” Michael noted. “And what we’re learning from Gen Z is that they are open and proud of their identities.”

Before Archer’s first version came out last year, its team surveyed over 1,200 people to learn about the problems users run into on current dating platforms.

What came back put the spotlight on safety, self-expression, and community, reflecting how the needs and attitudes of today’s gay and queer generation have shifted.

“When we set out to create Archer, we really wanted to know whether this was needed for the community and what problems we were trying to solve. We learned the dating experience for this community has evolved from a place of anonymity to celebration and pride,” Michael explained.

Forget swiping: scroll through a grid, follow whoever caught your eye, or take your shot and send a message.

That’s how Archer came to be. It’s still in its early days, but after debuting in New York City in July 2023, it went national in October. Over the past year, updates have concentrated on making the app safer and improving the user experience.

One of them is something hardly any other dating apps (if any at all) offer: selfie verification, built to fight abuse, boost safety, and foster a secure, flourishing space for the queer community.

Supporting Every Type of Connection

Archer mixes social media and dating apps in a one-of-a-kind way that meets everyone’s needs.

By pairing social media features with a dating app, Archer centers compatibility on common interests and uses tags to encourage community interaction that goes further than ordinary profile browsing.

Its features include tags that show off identity and interests, notifications about followers to help you connect with like-minded people, and prompts that make interactions fun and engaging.

Tags link up people who share interests.

“I’m in a relationship, so if someone like me was on Archer looking for friends, I could search tags for other people who are interested in that, and more specifically, my interests, like drag racing, Taylor Swift, SoulCycle, or whatever it is,” Michael explained. 

Archer’s rigorous verification process is what keeps the platform safe for gay, bi, and queer communities. Meanwhile, its hybrid model improves dating by building compatibility around common interests and encouraging community interaction that goes past the usual profile browsing.

“Not every dating app is for every type of person; what people need to understand about the gay community is that when it comes to relationships, it’s fluid, so how gay people use dating apps is different from how straight people do,” Michael said. 

In fact, 77% of people on Archer are looking for dates, and 74% are also open to making friends.

Of the users looking for dates, 65% say they’d rather keep things casual. Meanwhile, over 30% are interested in people who are in relationships, whether they want an open relationship, want to connect with another couple, or want to explore relationships with people who are already partnered.

“We wanted to create an app that could solve all those different needs and provide a use case for any gay, bisexual, queer man at every stage of their life,” Michael emphasized. “So I don’t think every dating app will adopt that mentality because they don’t need to — but I think that makes sense for Archer.”

More Than Dates and Friends

Archer does more than help people connect. It also serves as a go-to source for advice on health, sex, and relationships, all while backing and championing LGBTQ+ rights.

Archer’s inventive health hub, “Just the Tips,” offers advice from experts who are themselves gay, bisexual, or queer. Its coverage spans everything to do with dating and relationships, as well as sexual, physical, and mental health.

“We recognize that the current educational system in this country falls short in supporting young queer individuals. There was a lot I didn’t learn in my high school or college health classes,” Michael said. “So now, we want to be a comprehensive resource for the queer community in every way possible.”

Archer works with a range of experts and puts out new advice columns every month. Recent columns have tackled internalized homophobia, handling flakes, breaking dating patterns, dating someone who lives with HIV, and getting back into the dating pool.

“Just the Tips” is a blog that speaks to gay men’s real interests, problems, and experiences.

Archer also stands out for its partnerships and collaborations with influencers and creators. One of them? Drag queens across the country have offered their support, which was unexpected but very welcome.

“There are so many incredible queens joining our platform or talking about it, and that’s something fascinating about Archer,” said Michael. “We want to be a support system for this community because drag queens are a group of people that have championed queer rights and equality for decades and generations.”

Archer may be new, but it’s fast becoming the go-to dating and social media app made just for queer, bi, and gay men ready to fully embrace who they are and meet kindred spirits. Get Archer today from the App Store or Google Play.