Interview: Ruben Jauregui Jr. Is The Founder and CEO of QueerBFF

QueerBFF Is The LGBTQ+ App We've Been Waiting For

By Ghia Vitale

QueerBFF is the only app that’s designed to help you find queer friends. Check out this exclusive interview with Ruben Jauregui Jr. (the founder and CEO of QueerBFF) to learn more about this groundbreaking social networking app.

If you think you’ve heard me talking about QueerBFF before, you’re absolutely right. Recently, I wrote a review of QueerBFF for Queery Traveler. Well, I’m talking about it again because I want more people to know about QueerBFF and use the app. QueerBFF is the only app that’s dedicated to building platonic relationships and friendships within the LGBTQ+ community. Queer people and allies alike can use this app to connect with others who will accept us as we are. 

Personally, I think QueerBFF is exactly what the LGBTQ+ community needs in our lives. This app helps you make connections without the pressure of hooking up. Unlike many other places queer people meet, QueerBFF is outside of the dating/hookup context and it’s very refreshing. My appreciation for QueerBFF made me curious, so I decided to interview Ruben.

Keep reading to get hip to this inclusive app:

1. What inspired you to create QueerBFF? Did that inspiration come to you as a singular moment of realization or did you realize it gradually?
 
One day, I was watching a television interview with Laverne Cox. As I listened to her speak about Trans rights, I thought to myself, "Where do people in the Trans Community go to meet other Trans people and allies?" As a tech-minded Millennial, I was dumbfounded. I realized there were no social networking apps for anybody in the LGBTQ+ community to meet like-minded peers. I, myself, have always struggled to meet other LGBTQ+ friends without going to a night club or bar. It was at that moment I decided that I needed to do my part to help change that.

2. Which components of QueerBFF make you feel especially proud?

I am most proud of QueerBFF’s inclusiveness. Unlike other queer apps, QueerBFF is the only one that is inclusive of the entire LGBTQ+ community. Users have seven different sexual orientation options: Asexual, Bisexual/Pansexual+, Gay, Lesbian, Queer, Straight/Heterosexual, and Other. QueerBFF welcomes not just men and women, but provides users with seven different gender options: Man, Woman, Genderqueer, Non-Binary, Trans-Man, Trans-Woman, and Other.

3. How many users are registered with QueerBFF?

We have almost 28,000 users, most of whom are in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

4. What has been your biggest challenge with running QueerBFF?

Cashflow. My partner and I personally fund QueerBFF, but we are open to partnering up with interested parties who would like to invest in QueerBFF.

5. What does QueerBFF currently do (or plan on doing) to keep users safe from people who try to use QueerBFF as a dating or hookup app?

I developed QueerBFF for those of us in the community—and our straight allies—looking for platonic relationships. Since I launched QueerBFF, this question has been asked frequently. Obviously, there is no way for us to control its direct usage, but I definitely encourage our users to report any incidents of inappropriate behavior. We also monitor our users’ profiles for inappropriate sexual content.

6. Do you have any other advice for queer people who want to build friendships within the LGBTQIA community?

Be yourself. Most of us go through life trying to hide who we are in order to please everybody around us. There are people out there that want to hear your story, and all you have to do is take that leap of faith. Put yourself out there for people to be able to see you. We’re all so different, we all have our own stories, we are all unique. However, at the same time, we are all the same. We all have the same desires in life. We all want to be loved. We all want to be accepted. We all want to have that best friend.

7. What do you wish more people knew about platonic relationships?

My best friend, Rudy, and I have been friends for over 20 years. He is definitely someone I would go to the moon and back for, but we just have no romantic interest in or sexual attraction to each other. We are emotionally supportive of each other. Sometimes, it is hard to cry alone. We have been there for each other through thick and thin. A strong friendship defines you both and helps each of you navigate this thing called life. I created QueerBFF because I want everybody to have a Rudy.

​8. What is the best message you've ever received on QueerBFF?

I recently had a user stumble upon my profile on QueerBFF. He messaged me to tell me that he loved QueerBFF, and had made friends traveling throughout Texas and California. He said making friends, nowadays, is hard without the other person thinking you want to hook-up with them. He said he has zero hesitations to reach out and message other users on QueerBFF because he knows their relationship would be strictly platonic.

Check out QueerBFF by downloading it at the Apple App Store and Google Play. It’s currently free to download and join. You won’t regret it!