“There isn’t a place for marginalized queer people to connect and date online. I think one of the great violences of our generation has been denying marginalized people, whether you’re queer, black, or both, platform and spaces to see ourselves and others like us. I think Thurst is just one of the projects arising out of the desire to see ourselves online, to make our own space.” – Morgen Bromell, CEO

“I realized I wanted this to actually exist, not just as a late night coffee fueled dream, but as a real app. That’s how it began.”

“I receive messages regularly from folks who are really excited that this could be happening or from people who finally get to express their full identity and have hopes of dating without fear of violence or major triggers for the first time. That’s enough for me to want to keep going.”

“When we talk about being less oppressive, that also includes paying people. I will work for free, but it’s my project. I cannot expect others to feel the same. The mythos of struggle, starvation, and hustle around startups…is inherently toxic for oppressed people.”