ATTITUDE.CO.UK - June 28 - Dating app POZ was created when Andrew Goyvaerts realised there were so few places that HIV positive people could meet someone to date without fear of stigma and rejection upon disclosure of their status.
Q: How did POZ come about?
A: It was launched in March but it's a concept I came up with two years ago after my bad experiences with mainstream dating apps.
Q: Is POZ solely directed at HIV positive people?
A: It is for people with HIV, but we can't stop anyone who doesn't have HIV from joining.
Q: What kind of difference do you think POZ will make for HIV-positive people who are looking to forge relationships?
A: It's putting the ball back in the court of people living with HIV. That's something I used to feel using mainstream apps: that the ball wasn't in my court, because even if the person is alright with your diagnosis, I always felt I was starting off owing that person something for accepting it. This app will also be good for people in rural areas.
Q: The app's been out for a few weeks now. What's the reaction been like?
A: There have been some concerns that it might be kind of segregating in a way. I think of it less as segregation and more as community-building.
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