Ariel Hawkins has taken it upon herself to sue Tinder on behalf of her transgender community living in the Portland area. Hawkins claims that the popular dating application has rejected transgender individuals from successfully setting up a dating profile and meeting local singles.
The lawsuit, which has since been obtained by TMZ, alleges that when she edited her profile to include her status as a pre-op transgender woman, Tinder immediately deleted her account. Hawkins was then sent an email outlining how she had violated their terms of service, but refused to clearly demarcate the basis for their rejection.
Hawkins has revealed the TMZ that she believes she was ousted off the app in order for Tinder to salvage their public reputation, admitting that "I don't think the company understands trans people and they don't appreciate how we may represent ourselves."
The complainant, who has taken to the dating service in order to find love, believes they are effectively refusing "to provide transgender individuals full and equal access to its app."
The lawsuit plainly asks a judge to legally prohibit Tinder from discriminating against non-cis Oregon users.