Feds Spend $1.1 Million Creating Apps for Transwomen and Gay Teens With 'Hooking Up Simulations'

Taxpayer-funded app includes tips on how to create 'enjoyable sexual encounters,' 'self-pleasuring,' 'condom and lube use'

The National Institutes of Health is spending over $1.1 million creating a mobile app to connect transwomen and a "sex-positive" app that creates "hooking up simulations" for black gay teenagers.

dfusion, inc., a "science-based" technology company based in California, received the funding for two apps, including, "T3," which stands for "Tune In! Turn Up! Turn On!"

T3 is a "sex-positive" app targeting black men ages 14 to 17 who have sex with men. The project has received $949,583, including over $700,000 this spring.

Once developed, the app will include "hooking up simulations" and tips for young gay teenagers on "self-pleasuring," "condom and lube use," and how to create "enjoyable sexual encounters."

The app will also include features common on dating apps, such as a chat tool and a GPS locater. The researchers said they want to meet young black men who have sex with men, or YBMSM, "where they are."

"We're emphasizing sex positive messages that promote healthy relationships and sexual health in this underserved population," said Karin Coyle, Scotts Valley, and Tamara Kuhn, who run the project for dfusion in Oakland. "The app uses videos, games, and interactive activities like ‘hooking up' simulations to emphasize ways to enhance sexual experience while reducing HIV risk."

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