I deleted all dating apps, which had crept onto my phone like an oil spillage. Grindr started to rule my lifeGrindr is more of a hook-up app than a dating app. I grew up for years feeling isolated and excluded from the standard dating life my straight peers freely enjoyed. AdvertisementI recently finished reading "The Velvet Rage" by psychologist Alan Downs, which theorizes that gay men seek validation to compensate for the shame they felt growing up in a straight man's world. AdvertisementTill then, the distinctive bright orange grid and borderline iconic "brrrrup" notification sound have been silenced for a more old-fashioned dating life.

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