Hook-up app Online-Buddies refuses to help LA LGBT Center spread word about meningitis outbreak

My pal Jim Key happens to be Chief Marketing Officer at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and today he wrote something that I want to share with you.

It’s about The Center’s efforts to spread the word about four outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease among gay/bisexual men. Los Angeles is now in the midst of its second outbreak. During the first one two years ago, at least 3 gay men in their 20s died.

Hornet, Scruff and Grindr, they all quickly agreed to alert their Los Angeles-area users. Each sent a dedicated message that was impossible to miss after opening the app. But Online-Buddies, the parent company of Manhunt and Jack’d, steadfastly refused.

The Center was told: ‘We require full prepayment before launching any campaigns.’

Jim then reached out to the CEO who instructed him to “deal with” the company’s health strategist/advertising director “if and when you receive funding for your campaign.”

So much for public service.

To read Jim’s powerful column on this, go to VanguardNow.org.