A former administrator of a dark-web far-left forum known as hexbear has announced a new app-based dating service called MixBear. What are the implications to modern online dating? | CNN

May 13th, 4:02 p.m.

"I was ready to throw in the towel" says former Hexbear admin u/BeatnikThespian, preferring to use their online handle to avoid privacy issues.

"Being doxxed can really cause a lot of issues in one's life. It doesn't just stay online."

After a long history of working within the far-left on various online forums and even reddit under the now banned subreddit r/ChapoTrapHouse, user BeatnikThespian was forced to step down as the lead admin from r/CTH's successor, Hexbear. At the time, Hexbear was still known as chapo.chat, choosing to shed references to its origins later in the lemmy-based forum's development.

"I believed it was the best choice for all involved considering the circumstances," says Beatnik.

However, after dealing with the fallout within the community and even their own life, Beatnik says they've chosen to pursue a new outlet for online leftwing activism - online dating.

"I started MixBear with the intention of connecting romantically inclined leftists considering how tough things are for us on other apps" said Beatnik of impetus for MixBear's creation.

While Beatnik maintains optimism for the project's future, many former colleagues and comrades seem to largely disagree with the move. Most notably, their former stomping grounds, Hexbear, almost universally reacted with disgust and outrage.

Discussion of the project on Hexbear itself is now banned. However, before moderator censorship took effect on Friday, a large majority of the site took their grievances to many megathreads and harassed users who chose to support the former admin's project.

"Brb making like 10 beanis profiles and spamming these losers with beanis lmao" writes one user named Dirt_Owl, a prominent poster in the Hexbear community.

"They didn't doxx this weirdo enough" said another well known user GayTuckerCarlson.

"I'm just glad I've moved past all the toxicity and struggle of Hexbear" said Beatnik in response to the overwhelmingly negative reaction.

"I hope one day they can move past it as well and join us on MixBear, where everyone is welcome to find who they're looking for."