Hinge’s New D.A.T.E. Report Highlights the Rise of Label-Fluid Dating
In 2025, LGBTQIA+ daters are over being boxed in. They’re prioritizing chemistry, emotional connection, and shared energy over rigid identity categories. That’s what the Hinge Labs team uncovered in our third annual LGBTQIA+ D.A.T.E. (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) Report, Love Beyond Labels.
After surveying more than 14,000 LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual-identifying Hinge daters, our team found a growing wave of label fatigue—a frustration with the pressure to define oneself in fixed terms. More and more daters are exploring what it means to take a label-fluid approach: one that allows for evolution, curiosity, and connection that doesn’t require a perfect definition first.
With guidance from Hinge’s Love & Connection Expert, Moe Ari Brown (they/he), and Director of Relationship Science, Logan Ury (she/her), the report offers tools and insights to help daters challenge old dating scripts, move past overthinking, and turn attraction into action.
Labels Place Pressure on Daters to “Perform” Gender
Labels can help communicate who we are, but they can also create a false sense of certainty about who someone is, what kind of relationship they want, or how they’re expected to show up.
- 50% of LGBTQIA+ Hinge daters have felt the need to present as more masc or femme to attract someone.
- Among that group, 29% later regretted not having stayed true to themselves.
- 28% of LGBTQIA+ daters experience label fatigue, feeling the pressure to define themselves within existing labels as limiting or inauthentic. This feeling is even more common among queer-identifying daters, with 48% reporting label fatigue.
Rather than fitting into rigid categories, the report guides daters to ask: “Are labels putting pressure on me to show up a certain way with people I’m interested in? How do I want to express myself authentically?”
It’s Time to Break the Type Cycle Holding Daters Back
We found that a third (33%) of Hinge daters—LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual–identifying—have considered dating someone outside the gender expression they’re usually attracted to, but more than half (55%) didn’t act on those feelings. When asked why:
- 50% doubted their own feelings
- 34% hesitated due to unfamiliarity with queer dating
- 25% feared rejection.
Among Hinge daters who experienced unexpected attraction to someone outside their usual gender or gender expression preferences:
- 80% said it was sparked by the person’s energy and vibe
- 48% said it was confidence
- 48% said it was humor
This tells us something important: what draws people in often isn’t a label. It’s how someone makes you feel. And sometimes, your next great match won’t look like your last one.
Gen Z Leads the Shift of Dating Without Labels
Gen Z grew up with more visibility and vocabulary around gender and attraction, so they’re actively breaking out of the boxes they were handed and choosing to build relationships on their own terms.
- Gen Z daters are 21% more likely than Millennial daters to typically date people with a variety of gender expressions.
- Gen Z LGBTQIA+ daters were 22% more likely than Millennial LGBTQIA+ daters to be open to a sexual encounter with someone outside their usual gender preference.
- Gen Z LGBTQIA+ daters were 39% more likely than Millennial LGBTQIA+ daters to have reconsidered their sexuality label based on an unexpected attraction.
The Future of LGBTQIA+ Dating is Expansive
So many queer daters are doing the brave work of unlearning scripts that never truly fit. Moe Ari Brown (they/he), Hinge’s Love & Connection Expert, says, “Whether they’re exploring new labels, challenging old assumptions, or prioritizing emotional connection over fixed ‘types,’ one thing is clear: the future of dating is fluid, expansive, and entirely self-defined.”
Our 2025 LGBTQIA+ D.A.T.E. Report reflects Hinge’s commitment to continuing to listen to the community and creating tools that support daters as they grow, shift, and show up more fully as themselves.
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Methodology
Hinge’s D.A.T.E. Reports are conducted by Hinge Labs, a one-of-a-kind internal team of PhD researchers and behavioral scientists who have the sole purpose of providing evidence-based insights to help Hinge daters find love. Hinge’s internal team of PhD researchers and dating experts conducted surveys in January 2025 with more than 14,000 global respondents, including LGBTQIA+ and heterosexual daters. Recognizing that dating is complex and personal, Hinge Labs uses both quantitative and qualitative research methods to study successful daters and uses those insights to help build the most effective dating app for getting people into relationships.