I've seen many of these services being released in the last months.
I'd love to know from the maker the differences between Misterbnb and Wimblify (http://www.wimbify.com/) which is also launching today.
From a personal point of view, I'm not sure these services will really help towards the creation of equal rights for the LGBT community or better I'm not sure that creating ad hoc version of popular services will encourage the integration of the LGBT community. Giving the same rights to everyone and having the same duties should also reflect in technology in my opinion. Love to hear other feedback on this :D
Hello @gglepori . I'm one of misterbnb co-founder. Everything started from my own experience. I booked a shared apartment with my partner 6 years ago in Barcelona and the owner discovered that we were gay upon arrival. She was not comfortable at all that 2 men would sleep in the same bed in the room just next to her and started to react very badly.
misterbnb is solving an issue that thousands of gay men face. We are providing a welcoming environment to all our users. Thanks to misterbnb, gay men can now feel welcome anywhere they go and connect with the local gay community. misterbnb is now the largest gay hotelier in the world with 50,000 hosts over 134 countries. I totally respect your point of view but as a gay man, believe me, weird situations happen often and sometimes, when going on vacation, you just don't want to manage these situations and just be with the love of your life and enjoy it!
@matt75009 Hi Matt thanks for clarifying this for me! I really like your idea and I really appreciate the fact that you've managed to build something based on a problem you've faced before.
My only worry is that solutions like yours are giving a temporary solution to a bigger issue that should be addressed, in my opinion, in a different way. I would also love to hear your feedback on Wimbify: it seems they have basically copy and pasted your idea ;)
@gglepori I'm with you but I'm not a politician. We are trying to help to solve an issue at our level. I'm happy to see any initiative that is supporting my community.
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@gglepori@matt75009 I'm involved in the launch of Wimbify, as a founder of the Crowdfunding platform they are using. Main difference between the services is that Wimbify is not based on renting apartments. Instead it's a community, in which people is earning credits offering experiences (traveling guide, hosting people, sharing vehicles) and spending them enjoying others similar experiences. Not copy and pasted I guess ;)
I've known the team at misterbnb for over a year. They've made incredible strides to help the gay and greater LGBTQIA communities feel safe and secure while traveling throughout the U.S. and internationally. I've also used the product as a straight man and felt very welcomed.
I hope products like these will become obsolete asap. I mean that in the best possible way. Having special LGBTQ communities because otherwise people don't feel safe is not an ideal situation. LGBTQ should be accepted and special services shouldn't be needed. I'm a gay man living in The Netherlands, it took me a while to understand the need for this app. However I can see that in some countries this app is a way to keep your safer.
My husband and I considered a misterbnb over airbnb when we traveled to DC. It was honestly because there is a kind of unexplainable difference in interacting with queer folks vs interacting with straight folks that goes beyond being worried about discrimination. I was definitely a bit concerned about someone having something negative to say, but I also just thought that it might be fun to meet another gay guy who may know what's going on in that world in the district and could direct us toward that.
I, for one, hope there is always something like misterbnb as a way to connect to that community. Losing that connection by being fully integrated into straight social culture would be sad to me.
I've heard enough stories from friends to know that there is (regrettably) a real need for this product. I like the way that you've identified the best areas in each city and got be thinking about curating travel sites for specific needs - e.g. if I'm organising a hen/bachelorette party, it would be cool to have a site (or just a filter) that would propose the funkiest areas in different cities for me to choose from. The site design is simple and clean - best of luck!
Hunter
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Hunter
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Incredible
StartADAM Connect
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Shepard Fairey AR exhibition
Status - 2 - #NoBanNoWall
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Performance by Humi
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