Politics

We Asked Men On Grindr If They’ve Enrolled And… Hoo Boy

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With less than 12 hours to go until the deadline for enrolments ahead of the government’s postal survey on marriage equality hits, you’d think us gays are all doing everything we can to get out the vote. But the Yes campaign is reportedly worried that not enough young people have joined the electoral roll in time. So I thought I’d ask guys on the gay dating app Grindr if they’re enrolled yet.

I fired it up from Junkee’s Sydney office, right in the middle of the gaybourhood, Surry Hills. If you’re wondering, here’s what happens when you open Grindr for the first time in a new neighbourhood.

All those notifications obscure a lovely photo of my boyfriend, who very kindly gave me permission to download Grindr for this important~research~.

Here’s What I Learned

The first thing that happened was I got a popup telling me that today’s the last day to enrol, then linking out to the AEC’s enrol page. Good on you Grindr.

The Good News: Most Of The Men I Spoke To Are Ready To Vote

There were also a lot of men who aren’t citizens, but want to help.

Of course, non-citizens won’t be able to vote, but a lot of them might want to find a nice Aussie husband one day. That’s why so many are encouraging their friends to vote.

 

This guy just wanted to know about my shirt.

For the record, this is the shirt (and the profile photo I used). You can buy one here. The money will go towards the Yes vote in the upcoming campaign.

Some people didn’t seem to know or care about the survey.

And this guy was ready to walk down the aisle straight away.

I did convince one guy to check his enrolment.

But some people just didn’t want to talk about politics at all.

And some people, well they were just here for a pole, not a poll.

But at least they were also encouraging people to enrol!

All up, I was sent five very naughty photos, convinced one person to check their enrolment, and found a few people who just don’t care. But mostly I found people who are enrolled and ready to campaign for a Yes vote, so that’s good.

You have until midnight tonight to enrol or update your details. You can enrol here, and check your details here. Do it now, it takes two minutes.

Rob Stott is the Managing Editor of Junkee Media. You can follow him at @Rob_Stott