‘I love adventure, fishing and camping’: dating apps Tinder and Bumble ban US teenager Trayvon Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman
- Platforms have removed and blocked profiles registered by Zimmerman, who was acquitted of murder in fatal 2012 shooting
- In bio under the name ‘Carter’, he said he was ‘not into huge crowds’ and is ‘down for a quiet night with take-out’
George Zimmerman is looking for love. Unfortunately for him, Tinder will no longer host his search.
The popular dating app removed Zimmerman, the neighbourhood-watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Florida boy Trayvon Martin, from the platform, the New York Daily News reported. Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the killing of the unarmed teenager more than six years ago.
A Tinder spokesman confirmed in a statement to The Washington Post that Zimmerman’s profile had been removed.
“At Tinder, we take our users’ safety very seriously and our team has removed this profile from our platform,” the spokesman said.
“We utilise a network of industry-leading automated and manual moderation and review tools, systems and processes – and spend millions of dollars annually to prevent, monitor and remove bad actors who have violated our Community terms and guidelines.”
Zimmerman, 35, had registered on Tinder under the name “Carter” and advertised himself as a lover of the outdoors, fishing, camping and hiking. “Carter” also claimed to be a self-employed Liberty University graduate.
“I love adventure not into huge crowds. I’m also down for a quiet night with Longhorn take-out,” Zimmerman wrote in his bio, which was accompanied by photos of him dressed for graduation and with a dog, according to photos posted by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Zimmerman’s unlucky love streak predates his recent ban from Tinder. He was also removed from social networking platform Bumble twice in recent months.
“George Zimmerman was blocked and banned in December 2018 when we first discovered his profile and we have blocked and banned him again after we were informed by our users that he had created a new unverified profile,” a Bumble spokesman said in a statement, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
According to the Sentinel, his Bumble bio made no mention of killing a young man or that he was charged with stalking. However, it did note that he was his third grade teacher’s favourite student.
“Let’s get coffee and cake pops I’m looking for a mature and fun woman that’s ready to be loved and respected the way she deserves and is able to reciprocate,” he wrote.
