Outed Catholic Priest Suing Grindr Over Data Leak

If you’re a straight man, odds are you have a tertiary knowledge of an app called “Grindr”. You probably know that it’s a program used by gay men looking to hook up. It’s used extensively by religious conservatives, who have to hide their sexuality from others. One such closeted man, a now former priest by the name of Jeffrey Burrill, was forced out of the church when he was exposed as gay by an organization called The Pillar, which seeks to expose gay priests in order to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the church. This angered Burrill, who is now suing Grindr for allegedly selling his information.

The ex-priest alleged in his lawsuit that The Pillar received that data from Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal (CLCR), a Christian non-profit that bought data from queer dating apps to track down Church leaders using them against their vows — implying that Grindr had sold it to the organization…Burrill said he’d never have joined the app had he known his data would be available to the public, according to the lawsuit.

Now, the tricky thing here is that there is no law preventing your data from being sold. In fact, that’s how most tech companies make their money. You are just a series of numbers as far as they are concerned, and any method of making money is kosher to them. It’s difficult to see just how Burrill is going to make his case here. If he had an expectation of privacy, then he chose the wrong program to fulfill his desires. In any case, he should be taking the opportunity to grow. He’s gay, and obviously enjoys sex, which means that he’s not exactly a good fit for a religious organization that forbids both of these things from its members. Being a disgraced priest is a badge of honor for many former members of the Church, and now that he’s out of the closet, perhaps Burrill can seek a loving relationship rather than tawdry sex. Just like the part of his body he was taught was sinful, it’s never too late to grow.