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Austin-based Bumble – no stranger to taking political positions – is creating a relief fund to support reproductive rights and help people seeking abortions in Texas.
A company spokesman said the money was going to partner organizations dedicated to protecting reproductive rights.
“Bumble is founded and run by women, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable. We will continue to fight against regressive laws like # SB8, “the company said in a tweet.
A new Texas abortion law signed by Governor Greg Abbott in May – Senate Law 8 – went into effect Wednesday and bans most abortions in the state. It is the most restrictive law of its kind in the country, banning abortions as early as six weeks of gestation, before most people know they are pregnant.
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The law, which the US Supreme Court rejected late Wednesday, allows “anyone” to file a civil lawsuit against anyone who performs an abortion or performs an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected that can occur at six weeks . A successful plaintiff could receive at least $ 10,000 from the provider or others.
Bumble operates two apps – Bumble and Badoo – which have over 40 million users a month. The company’s eponymous app began as a dating app and has since evolved into a women-centric social networking platform where only women can start a conversation or contact.
In addition to tweeting about the new relief fund, the company also mentioned its plans to support abortion law in an Instagram post and suggested organizations and efforts people can donate to, such as the National Network of Abortion Funds, the Brigid Alliance, Repro Legal Defense Fund, Lilith Fund, Fund Texas Choice, and Frontera Fund. Bumble said its own fund is raised internally – rather than by outside donors – and goes to the same organizations.
A Bumble spokesman said the company works with partner organizations that are committed to protecting reproductive rights and that have been selected “because their mission and values align with ours and they have a history of fighting for reproductive rights and women’s rights to have”.
The spokesman said there was no targeted amount the company would invest in the fund and that it would continue to run. The spokesman said that only the selected organizations will have access to the funds and anyone seeking assistance should contact one of the organizations listed in the post.
Shar Dubey, CEO of Dallas-based Match Group, which operates dating websites and apps like Match.com, Tinder, and Plenty of Fish, has also set up a fund to help employees and their loved ones seeking abortion assistance in other states looking, reported the Dallas Morning News.
In an internal memo to employees, the CEO said that as a woman and mother, she was forced to express her views publicly because she saw the law as retrograde for women’s rights.
“The company generally does not take political positions unless it is relevant to our business. But in that case, personally, as a woman in Texas, I could not keep silent and made this statement which you may see covered in the next few days . ” ,” She said.
Several other Austin companies also joined the effort. Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop announced on Facebook that the proceeds from some cookie sales will be donated to groups fighting for the right to abortion.
“We believe reproductive rights are human rights,” the bakery said in its post. “We will not watch or do anything while we are deprived of these rights.”
Austin-based Bumble has not shied away from politics in the past – especially when it comes to issues that affect women.
In 2018, the company ran a full-page ad in the New York Times saying “Believe Women” in Bumble’s signature yellow color, the day after Christine Blasey Ford testified against then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. At the time, the company also announced it would donate $ 25,000 to the Rape, Assault and Incest National Network to help survivors of sexual violence.
In 2019, Bumble pushed for a Texas law that would criminalize sending unsolicited nude or sexual photos. The resulting bill makes sending a lewd photo without the recipient’s consent punishable by a fine of up to $ 500. Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd testified to support the law.
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“We are proud to have contributed to bringing the standards of behavior on the Internet closer to our standards of behavior in the real world. If it didn’t fly on the street – or in the office or in the classroom – it shouldn’t be tolerated in your inbox! ”The company said in a 2019 statement. At the time, Bumble also promised to bring the legislation outside of Texas.
In 2020, SB 53 was sponsored by the company in California, also known as the FLASH (Forbid Lewd Activity and Sexual Harassment) Act. If passed, the law would protect technology users who receive sexually explicit images or are flashed on the Internet and who send lewd or sexually explicit material without the recipient’s express consent, with an initial fine of $ 250 and a subsequent fine of $ 500 criminal for each additional violation. Bumble began pushing for a similar law in New York in January.
The company has also added in-app features in recent years to help keep users safe, including photo verification and a “private detector” that blurs naughty images, and it has photos of guns and guns and hate speech in its own banned apps.
Bumble grew rapidly amid the pandemic, and the company went public earlier this year, raising $ 2.5 billion in its initial public offering, the largest ever public offering by an Austin company. In a securities filing, Wolfe Herd, one of the few founders to have a company public, said Bumble had the potential to become a “preeminent global women’s brand.”
“We look forward to building the future of love, friendship, networking and community as we eradicate archaic gender dynamics and make the internet a friendlier and more responsible place. I want to thank the remarkable women who paved the way for Bumble by supporting and supporting one another; we can break down barriers for the next generation of women and other marginalized communities, ”Wolfe Herd said in a February statement.
Meanwhile, Abbott said in an interview with CNBC Thursday that the state’s new abortion law will not affect the business climate in Texas. He said that many corporations and Americans endorse the social positions of the Texan legislature, claiming that corporations would also choose the state for its low-tax policies.
“People vote with their feet,” said Abbott. “This is not slowing down the companies that come into the state of Texas. It speeds the process of companies coming into Texas.”
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