--- title: "Former Congressman Says the RNC Is the “Grindr Super Bowl”" description: "George Santos has a word of advice for all the men using the popular gay hookup app Grindr while attending the RNC in Milwaukee this week." date: "2024-07-18" modified: "2024-07-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/george-santos-grindr-rnc-superbowl" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "grindr" - "politics" - "the digest" - "trump" --- # Former Congressman Says the RNC Is the “Grindr Super Bowl” ![George Santos has a word of advice for all the men using the popular gay hookup app Grindr while attending the RNC in Milwaukee this week.]() *\Image: Win McNamee via Getty\* ## Wherever You Are Former New York congressman and [well-known fabulist George Santos]() has a word of advice for any political operatives covertly using the popular gay hookup app Grindr while attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week. In a [video on X-formerly-Twitter](), Santos seemed to reference a satirical headline from [comedian Dash McIntyre](), whose "Halfway Post" account [earlier in the week quipped]() that "an executive of the gay dating app Grindr says the Republican National Convention is 'basically Grindr’s Super Bowl.'" "So, Grindr executives are calling the RNC convention 'the Grindr Super Bowl,'" said Santos, whose [penchant for lies]() became so egregious that he was straight-up [expelled from Congress]() for it at the end of 2023. While it's unclear whether or not Santos, who claims he met his husband on the app, was aware that "The Halfway Post" is satirical, the advice he offered seemed to be from the heart. "Let me tell you something: just come out of the closet boys! Come on, it's fun!" the [one-time drag queen]() exclaimed. "You can be gay and conservative. But look, Grindr's already outing you, based on the hits, and guess who's in town. It's all you conservatives." ## Life Imitates Art Satire aside, there's plenty of evidence and precedent suggesting Grindr usage does indeed spike during the GOP convention. Back in 2016, [*Vice* reported]() based on data from the app that Cleveland, which hosted that year's RNC, experienced an influx of white men using it around the same time it was taking place. In a statement to the outlet, a representative from the company — a real one, this time — said that "more than a thousand guys have used the app near the Quicken Loans Arena" where the convention was held. Doing some simple math, *Vice* calculated that with about 20,000 attendees, that would mean roughly five percent of the people who went to that year's RNC were using the app. This year's RNC might not be too different. In one post, for instance, [one user said]() she "checked out Grindr at the RNC's exact location" and found several profiles with display names referencing the convention and being on the "down-low," a term used to suggest men who are in the closet and looking to hook up discreetly. "It did not disappoint," that user said. While it's an open question as to whether [satire that is too convincing]() to its subjects can be considered effective, the case of the RNC being Grindr's Super Bowl is, if nothing else, a hilarious example of life imitating art. https://www.twitter.com/StrewthQueen/status/1813418135816671525 **More on politics:** [*Project 2025 Exec Loses Mind, Threatening* "*Furry Perverts*" *After Embarrassing Hack*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()