Rise of 'hetero-curious' users in dating apps: hypocrisy or new niche?

The surge of 'hetero-curious' profiles on dating apps: a new label or old hypocrisy?

What is a 'hetero-curious' user? On male contact apps, more and more profiles state: "seeking beardless femboy," "trans only," "no guys, will block." According to many users within the 'responsible consumption' community, this formula is a smokescreen for a specific profile: married or partnered men with conservative appearances, fans of national symbols and bullfighting, who seek anonymous encounters with trans women or effeminate men. The pattern repeats almost caricaturally: by day, the image of the traditional Spanish macho; by night, discreet searches on Grindr.

A cliché with real basis?

Gai and trans hookup networks accumulate testimonials from those who, after investigating, find the same subjects behind these profiles: "bullfighters with bracelets," as they are called. One user who claims to have traced them to Instagram states that "it never fails: little flag, jitanos, married or in relationships." The hypocrisy would be double: at night they seek sens with trans people or femboys, and in the early hours they return to forums to insult those same groups. The reaction from the community is fierce: they are accused of being "scum" for hiding their desire behind the curious label.

The debate on the label and the market

For some, 'hetero-curious' is an segarro: anyone seeking sensual interaction with someone with a penis, even if trans or femboy, is not heterosenshetero. Others see it as a segmentation strategy: they look for "experiments" without emotional commitment, viewing trans or feminine-presenting people as an intermediate point. Economically, the phenomenon reveals a sensual consumption niche growing in the informal economy of apps: quick, anonymous encounters with no official record. And with a striking political profile: critics note that many of these users belong to the identitarian right, adding a layer of political hypocrisy.

The community's response: resentment or reality?

The most critical voices within the LGBTQ+ community consider 'hetero-curious' users to actually be "repressed lgtb men" who do not accept their orientation and live it clandestinely, using trans people as a gateway. Others, more pragmatic, admit there have always been men looking for "travestis" for sens, while maintaining stable relationships with cisgender women. The debate continues, and dating apps have become the battleground for this tension.

The latest message in the thread sums it up: "By day, mustached and pure; by night, mustached and pure with a wig in the back of the gas station." While harsh, the repetition of the pattern suggests there is indeed a specific sociological profile behind the trend.