Sophia Schiaroli started Gay Girls+ kind of by accident. She intended to launch something casual — a walking group for queer sapphics so she could find some new friends throughout the pandemic. But her idea exploded, developing an identity of its own as Gay Girls+ — a “third space” community for underrepresented LGBTQ+ people seeking ways to connect that aren’t centered around bars and nightlife.
“We are trying to uplift communities that are largely put as an afterthought in so many conversations,” Schiaroli said — noting that Gay Girls+ (a name she doesn’t love because it doesn’t reflect the group’s gender-expansive spirit) is for LGBTQ+ people who aren’t cis men, especially those who are sapphic-leaning.
Gay Girls+ now exists in Philly, DC, Dallas, Denver and Chicago — with multiple thousands of people joining for bike rides, volunteer opportunities, karaoke nights, picnics and other “wholesome” activities, Schiaroli said. Those interested in joining can currently find the communities on Geneva — an app for organizing and communicating about specific topics.
But that might soon change. After dealing with some incompatibility issues on Geneva and responding to community feedback, Schiaroli is launching a new app — Cherry — where her team will have full autonomy over customizing the user experience.
“I think it’s an evolution of Gay Girls+,” Schiaroli said, noting that Gay Girls+ will still exist under the new, more inclusive name. “It’s the next evolution of the community roots that we planted. With Cherry, we are developing something that is going to maintain a lot of similar values but is also going to add a lot of new layers and dimensions to what we’ve already done.”
The Cherry team recently launched a Kickstarter to raise $75,000 by Jan. 1. The fundraiser has only raised about $2,000 as of Dec. 3 — which is Giving Tuesday, a day when people are encouraged to support good causes. If the goal is met, Schiaroli said the funds will be used to expedite the launch, pushing the date closer than the current target of mid-2025. More funding will help bring the app to life sooner rather than later.
The all-queer team — which includes Schiaroli, who is a lesbian, and many members of Gay Girls+ — is currently working on the start-up as volunteers, dedicating their time to building the platform because they believe it’s truly needed.
“With what’s going on post-election and how many communities are being targeted right now, this would be a very powerful and helpful tool and resource for people — especially people that don’t grow up in places like Philadelphia or New York, [for people] in rural communities that really don’t have the network and support system,” Schiaroli emphasized.
She underlined that Cherry will amplify the network’s positive aspects — such as its localized and interests-based approach to cultivating friendships — and adjust based on the community’s struggles during the app’s development.
“We really want people to have a community that coexists in a digital and in real-life space — so everything we’re doing is to foster real connections,” she said, highlighting that the goal is to mitigate the superficiality that exists on other platforms.
Schiaroli noted that her Instagram connections tend to remain online-only, for instance. And while LGBTQ+ people sometimes turn to dating apps to find friends, the space isn’t intended for that use — which causes snags. Even community hubs like Geneva — which intend to bring people together like Cherry will — aren’t always as queer-centered or as safe as LGBTQ+ people need.
When Gay Girls+ first started, Schiaroli — who was 22 years old at the time — never imagined it would grow so quickly. She said she didn’t have the skills to address the community’s needs properly at the time — leading the group to develop policies and standards as responses to issues that arose, especially regarding safety and harassment, in real-time.
With Cherry, safety has been a top priority from inception — leading to a system of protected layers that don’t tend to exist in other apps. And Schiaroli, who now has a few years of experience running Gay Girls+ and a master’s degree in nonprofit management, said she’s ready for this next stage.
“I’m really eager to use all that I’ve learned the past few years, and all the ways that I’ve grown, and all the ways that I’ve understood my own identity and other people’s identities — I really put that into this app,” she said. “So I’m also really, really proud of what we’re building, and I really am excited to see what it can do for networking in the future.”