For trans women, finding love is not as easy as 1, 2, 3 especially in a society where stigma constantly hounds them. Dating in real life can pose potential threats to their safety and dating online on many mainstream online dating platforms can be a hit or miss. So when French Entrepreneur Cyril Mazur was dating Filipina trans beauty queen and activist Maki Gingoyon, they came up with a total game changer in the world of trans dating.
Cyril and Maki founded the niche dating website for trans women and trans-oriented men, My Transsexual Date in 2013. They had a goal in mind – to create a safe and decent space for trans dating. Prior to establishing the website, most dating sites that were for trans women promoted pornography, hookups, and prostitution. Cyril and Maki wanted to stray away from that and fight the stigma that trans women were not interested in real relationships.
Before My Transsexual Date, trans women who wanted to find real love would have no choice but to sign up for dating sites that would lump them up with scammers or those who were more interested in sex work. But since its founding in 2013, My Transsexual Date has helped many trans-oriented men and trans women meet the love of their lives.
In that same year, My Ladyboy Date, which was targeted to the Asian market, was established by the founders. The site continues to be successful in Asia especially in countries with a bigger population of trans women such as the Philippines and Thailand. The term ladyboy is more commonly used in Asia and doesn’t carry the same stigma it does in the west. This is why My Transsexual Date was launched for the western audience.
For trans women by trans women
One problem that the founders sought to solve was the issue of unemployment for trans women. So they started hiring trans women, moderators and creative writers. Now, the team is mostly made up of trans women who share their opinions and help run the site smoothly.
This setup not only helps solve the problem of trans unemployment, but it also makes sure that the site is for trans women by trans women.
Rebranding
Over the years, My Transsexual Date has formed a community online. It’s the leading dating site for trans women and trans-oriented men with over 1.2 million members and 55,000+ active monthly users. As the world changes to become more progressive, the founders find it vital to get with the times.
The site’s major challenge is rebranding from My Transsexual Date to My Transgender Date which happened just this year. Though the term transsexual is still very much valid, it has lost its popularity to the term transgender. In order for the site to be more inclusive, the rebranding had to be done.
Many of the members have shared their positive feedback to the change in brand, especially those who preferred the term transgender. Prior to the change, there were suggestions by the members to change the name to transgender as it is the more politically correct term. My Transgender Date wanted to let their members know that they are valued and that their opinions matter. This is what makes My Transgender Date one of the top dating sites for trans women and the reason that they continue to be ahead of the trans dating game.Â
For more: mytransgenderdate.com
