Terms of Service

Introduction

Welcome to LGBTQ-Dating.com. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of our platform at lgbtq-dating.com, including all features, content and services we provide.

By creating an account or using our platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use our platform.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and LGBTQ-Dating.com. Please read them carefully.

1. Eligibility

To use LGBTQ-Dating.com, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Be legally capable of entering into a binding agreement
• Not have been previously banned from our platform
• Not be a registered sex offender in any jurisdiction

By creating an account, you confirm that you meet all eligibility requirements. We reserve the right to verify your age and may request proof of identity at any time.

2. Your Account

2.1 Account creation:

• You must provide accurate and truthful information when creating your account
• You may only create one account per person
• Your account is personal and may not be transferred to another person
• You must verify your email address to activate your account

2.2 Account security:

• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials
• You must use a strong, unique password
• You must notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account
• We are not liable for any loss resulting from unauthorised use of your account

2.3 Account deletion:

You can delete your account at any time through Settings → Account → Delete Account. Upon deletion, your profile is immediately hidden and your data is permanently removed within 30 days, as described in our Privacy Policy.

3. Community Guidelines

LGBTQ-Dating.com is a safe, inclusive and respectful space for the LGBTQ+ community. All users must adhere to the following guidelines:

3.1 Respect and inclusivity:

• Treat all users with dignity and respect, regardless of their identity
• Use correct pronouns when they are displayed on a user's profile
• Do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, disability, body type or HIV status
• Embrace the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community

3.2 Zero tolerance for:

• Harassment: unwanted messages, threats, intimidation or bullying of any kind
• Hate speech: slurs, derogatory language or content targeting any group
• Catfishing: creating fake profiles or misrepresenting your identity
• Spam: unsolicited commercial messages, promotional content or scams
• Illegal activity: any behaviour that violates applicable laws
• Outing: sharing someone's sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status without their consent

3.3 Reporting violations:

If you experience or witness any violation of these guidelines, please report the user through their profile or contact us at contact@lgbtq-dating.com. All reports are reviewed by our team and handled confidentially.

4. Content

4.1 Your content:

• You retain ownership of all content you upload to the platform (photos, text, etc.)
• By posting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, distribute and use that content solely for the purpose of operating the platform
• This licence ends when you delete the content or your account

4.2 Content standards:

All content you upload must:

• Be yours or content you have the right to share
• Not contain nudity or sexually explicit material in public profile photos
• Not depict violence, self-harm or illegal substances
• Not contain content involving minors
• Not infringe on any third party's intellectual property or privacy rights

4.3 Content moderation:

We reserve the right to review, remove or disable access to any content that violates these Terms or our Community Guidelines, without prior notice. Repeated violations may result in account suspension or permanent ban.

5. Verification

We offer a voluntary identity verification system. Verified profiles display a verification badge to indicate that the person has been confirmed as genuine.

• Verification involves submitting a selfie photo for manual review by our team
• Selfie photos are stored securely and used only for verification purposes
• We aim to process verification requests within 48 hours
• A verification badge does not guarantee a user's character, intentions or behaviour

Always exercise your own judgement when interacting with other users, regardless of verification status.

6. Subscriptions and Payments

6.1 Free membership:

LGBTQ-Dating.com offers a free membership that includes core features such as profile creation, browsing, limited daily likes, and messaging with matches. Free membership will always remain available.

6.2 Premium subscription:

• Premium subscriptions unlock additional features such as unlimited likes, advanced filters, profile boosts, video calls and seeing who liked you
• Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually through Stripe, our payment processor
• Prices are displayed in Euros (€) and include applicable VAT
• Your subscription automatically renews at the end of each billing period unless cancelled

6.3 Launch offer:

During our launch period, all users receive free access to premium features. After the launch period ends, you can choose to subscribe to Premium or continue with the free membership.

6.4 Cancellation:

• You can cancel your subscription at any time through Settings → Subscription
• Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period
• You retain access to Premium features until the end of your paid period
• We do not offer partial refunds for unused time within a billing period

6.5 Refunds:

Refund requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. If you believe you are entitled to a refund, contact us at contact@lgbtq-dating.com within 14 days of the charge. EU consumers have the right to withdraw from a purchase within 14 days under the Consumer Rights Directive.

7. Safety

Your safety is our priority. While we take measures to create a safe environment, please follow these guidelines:

7.1 Online safety:

• Never share your password, financial information or personal documents with other users
• Be cautious of users who quickly ask for money or personal information
• Report suspicious profiles or behaviour immediately
• Use our in-app messaging and video call features instead of moving to external platforms too quickly

7.2 Meeting in person:

• Always meet in a public place for the first time
• Tell a friend or family member where you are going and who you are meeting
• Arrange your own transport to and from the meeting point
• Trust your instincts — if something feels wrong, leave
• Use our video call feature to verify someone's identity before meeting

7.3 Emergency situations:

If you are in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services. If you experience harassment or abuse on the platform, report it to us and we will take swift action.

8. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the platform — including the design, code, logos, branding, text and graphics — belong to LGBTQ-Dating.com or our licensors.

• You may not copy, modify, distribute or reverse-engineer any part of our platform
• You may not use our name, logo or branding without prior written permission
• You may not scrape, crawl or extract data from our platform using automated tools (except search engine indexing as permitted by our robots.txt)

The LGBTQ-Dating.com name and rainbow heart logo are trademarks of LGBTQ-Dating.com.

9. Limitation of Liability

9.1 Platform provided "as is":

LGBTQ-Dating.com is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. While we strive to provide a reliable service, we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access to the platform.

9.2 No guarantees about other users:

We do not conduct criminal background checks on users and cannot guarantee the identity, intentions or behaviour of other users. You interact with other users at your own risk.

9.3 Limitation:

To the maximum extent permitted by law, LGBTQ-Dating.com shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to:

• Loss of data, profits or goodwill
• Actions or behaviour of other users
• Service interruptions or technical issues
• Unauthorised access to your account

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable EU law.

10. Suspension and Termination

10.1 By us:

We may suspend or permanently terminate your account if you:

• Violate these Terms or our Community Guidelines
• Are reported by multiple users for inappropriate behaviour
• Use the platform for illegal activities
• Create multiple accounts or a fake profile
• Are under 18 years old

10.2 By you:

You can close your account at any time through Settings → Account → Delete Account. Your data will be handled as described in our Privacy Policy.

10.3 Appeals:

If your account has been suspended and you believe this was in error, you can appeal by contacting us at contact@lgbtq-dating.com. We will review your appeal within 14 business days.

11. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Netherlands, without regard to conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the platform shall be submitted to the competent courts in Groningen, the Netherlands.

EU consumers may also use the European Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/odr.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Sending an email to your registered address
• Displaying a prominent notice on our platform
• Updating the "Last updated" date at the top of these Terms

Material changes will take effect 30 days after notification. Your continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

13. Contact Us

For any questions about these Terms of Service: