Queer Connect is a new social networking platform made by queers for queers. Featuring an extensive directory hub, job board, and events calendar working to bring day-to-day convenience and ease of access to every aspect of queer life, Queer Connect founders Janni and Korbyn said that the platform is a safe and inclusive online space for LGBTQIA+ people.

“Queer Connect was born out of our passion for business and travel, a desire to connect with and contribute more to our LGBTQIA+ community around the world, and a dream of having access to the same level of day-to-day convenience that has been tailored to the heteronormative world since the dawn of time,” they said.

It is well documented that the Metaverse has never treated the Queer community with love and care. In 2021, Media Matters for America studied a wide range of trans-related Facebook posts between October 2020 and September 2021. All but one of the top 40 posts on trans issues came from conservative-leaning Facebook pages, accounting for 63 percent of all interactions on posts related to trans issues. 

“We’ve always found ourselves wishing for platforms and apps that are more tailored to our needs and our lifestyle,” the founders said. “And frankly, we were done wishing and waiting for society to acknowledge and encourage our existence. So, we decided to take things into our own hands.” 

Inside Queer Connect 

When you open the platform's website, you’re met with a Facebook-like design, making the experience user friendly and familiar from the jump. But instead of ad generated algorithms, carefully curated, human-vetted and queer-inclusive ads uplifting organizations like the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline are discovered.

“We aren’t going to use a typical advertising network, we’re going to use our own advertising network of trusted businesses and organizations,” they said. “We have a vision that we want to always keep the human behind the moderation. We will include some AI when the platform gets bigger for moderation, but a real queer person will be behind and oversee moderation.”

Safety — With safety being the heart of Queer Connect, the founders created a feature called “Spaces,” allowing for a more covert queer experience for those that live a quieter queer existence. 

“We’ve created Spaces, which is more private and for members only,” Janni and Korbyn said. “Let’s say you are a queer owned business but don’t want to outwardly put that you’re a queer business, you can use spaces to be safer if you feel unsafe being out.” 

Members are also labeled as LGBTQIA+ or ally, creating a completely transparent view of the membership.

Social Networking — Members of Queer Connect can expect standard social media interactions including friend requests, likes, comments and scrolling through a newsfeed.

LGBTQIA+ Directory Hub — Looking for a Black and nonbinary-owned business? Queer Connect’s directory hub contains various filters to get you there. The directory not only includes businesses, but also dining and nightlife, artists and creators, organizations, and healthcare.

Job Board — As queer people living under capitalism, we do the best we can to have a fulfilling job where we feel safe. Queer Connect’s job board lists ONLY queer-affirming job postings. Members can upload their resumes to their profiles and search for jobs and post job openings.

Worldwide Events Calendar — Simply put: Members can find events from all over the world catering to queer people. 

Revenue and the Need for Cash

Membership for Queer Connect is free! That’s right, F-R-E-E because Janni and Korbyn said they want their platform to be as inclusive as possible. In addition to free membership, all job postings are free.

“We’re not going to have any paid membership, maybe down the road for a ‘gold’ membership which would have different perks,” they said. “But people can buy advertising space and boost their job postings.”

In 2022, Facebook generated nearly 114 billion U.S. dollars in advertising revenue. This figure is expected to further grow to exceed 127 billion U.S. dollars by 2027. However, Facebook has a less strict vetting process compared to Queer Connect and without an advertising network like Google Ads, the queer-friendly startup needs an influx of cash from outside sources.

“We’ve bootstrapped everything and in the pre-seeding round,” they said. “We want this to be big and we have to be willing to give some of the business away to investors, but it has to be the right investors, but we do need an injection of cash.” 

Investors would contribute to the growth of Queer Connect through establishing a phone app to create that same experience that meta platforms offer, Janni and Korbyn further explained. More capital would also allow the two person team to hire a web developer and site moderators.