WASHINGTON — LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr is tapping into the Washington lobbying world amid legislative battles over reproductive health care access.
The “Global Gayborhood” has hired The Daschle Group, founded by former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle, to lobby on “HIV prevention; LGTBQ family formation challenges including surrogacy and IVF,” according to federal disclosures filed last week.
There are competing bills in the Senate designed to protect in vitro fertilization after an Alabama court ruling inadvertently barred IVF care. Democrats forced a vote on the Right to IVF Act in June, with only two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — voting for the legislation. Other Republicans argued the measure is a “scare tactic” and “fearmongering” from Democrats on a major issue heading into the election cycle, and have pushed their own version that would deny Medicaid funds to states that bar IVF.
Yet Democrats say that bill allows for states to introduce other restrictions on IVF care and support.
Washington has also seen increased lobbying around access to HIV prevention medicines known as PrEP after a federal court case questioning whether a volunteer, national panel of doctors and scientists can require no-cost coverage.
Grindr’s foray into lobbying is notable for the platform, which officially calls itself a “social networking app,” but is known for helping users locate potential sex partners in their area. In a 2022 article, Vice News described the app as “a 24/7 merry-go-round of sex in your immediate locale.” No other popular dating apps have registered to lobby on health care issues, according to STAT’s review of federal disclosures. Match Group, which owns the popular dating apps Tinder and Hinge, spent $650,000 last quarter lobbying on digital privacy issues.
It is unclear how much Grindr is paying the Daschle Group to lobby on its behalf. Grindr and the Daschle Group did not respond to requests for comment.
The Daschle Group represents a variety of health care companies ranging from the hospital chain Ballad Health to vaccine makers Bavarian Nordic and Valneva. The firm is especially known for lobbying on issues related to infectious diseases, and serves as a lobbying firm for the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, the Coalition to Stop Flu, and the Antimicrobials Working Group.
Daschle, who serves as The Daschle Group’s CEO, has a complicated personal history with the gay community. In 1996, he voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, which denied same-sex couples the same legal rights as gay couples. He also vocally attacked gay marriage from his perch in the Senate, telling the Associated Press in 2004: “Marriage is a sacred union between men and women. That is what the vast majority of Americans believe. It’s what virtually all South Dakotans believe. It’s what I believe.”
However, Daschle also played an integral role in defeating a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as a union between a man and woman. Daschle was ultimately honored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for his role in defeating that measure. In 2013, he also joined several former lawmakers in urging the Supreme Court to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, writing: “Gay families have proven stable, healthy environments for children and valuable members of our communities. There is no evidence that extending legal recognition to same-sex marriages has discouraged heterosexual marriage or encouraged fathers to abandon their children.”
Daschle himself is not registered to lobby on behalf of the company, according to the filing. The company has instead hired the firm’s lobbyists Charlie Panfil and Joe Hack.
Panfil, according to his official biography, was the “youngest person to become a member of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Campaign Board,” which works to elect LGBTQ+ politicians.
Hack most recently served as chief of staff to Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who herself has a mixed record on gay rights. Following the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage, Fischer issued a statement that people of all sexual orientations should be treated with respect but that “there are good people with strongly-held beliefs on both sides of this issue.” In 2023 she voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which formally repealed the Defense of Marriage Act.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the origin of a ban on IVF in Alabama.
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