Bumble class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiffs Christine Johnson and Diane Foster filed a class action lawsuit against Bumble Trading LLC.
- Why: Johnson and Foster allege that Bumble discriminates against straight women by requiring them to initiate contact with straight men they match with, denying them the ability to be pursued by their matches.
- Where: The Bumble discrimination class action lawsuit was filed in Riverside County Superior Court in California.
A new Bumble class action lawsuit alleges the dating app’s “first move” feature discriminates against straight women by requiring women who match with men to initiate contact with them, even if they do not wish to make the initial contact.
Men and women with non-heterosexual matches are able to initiate contact, but women who match with heterosexual males are denied the opportunity to be contacted by the men they match with, plaintiffs Christine Johnson and Diane Foster say.
The plaintiffs claim the Bumble app’s “first move” feature is based on stereotypes and discriminates based on gender and sexual orientation.
“Specifically, as a means of attempting to justify the discrimination, defendants portray females as perpetual victims needing special emotional and psychological protection … from an entire class of people – heterosexual males – based on inaccurate, stereotypical depictions of men as rude, sexually-forward ogres who are all incapable of communicating with women in a polite and respectful manner,” the plaintiffs say.
Bumble dating app disempowers straight women, plaintiffs allege
Johnson and Foster claim the “first move” feature disempowers women because it takes away their choice and prevents them from being contacted by heterosexual men who match with them. They say they are uncomfortable making the first move and want men they match with to be able to initiate contact.
“Many, if not most, heterosexual women who match with men online want to be pursued, not to be the pursuers,” they allege.
Other dating apps allow any user to initiate contact when matched, according to the Bumble class action lawsuit.
Both plaintiffs claim they were interested in using the Bumble’s matchmaking services but ultimately decided not to because of the allegedly discriminatory policy preventing heterosexual men they matched with from initiating contact.
The plaintiffs allege Bumble treats consumers unequally based on their sex in violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
Bumble recently settled a class action lawsuit alleging its dating app violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Do you think the Bumble dating app “first move” feature discriminates against straight women? Join the discussion in the comments.
Johnson and Foster are represented by Alfred G. Rava of Rava Law Firm.
The Bumble dating app class action lawsuit is Christine Johnson, et al. v. Bumble Trading LLC, Case No. 5:24-cv-02148, in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Riverside.
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