Gay man who needs pipes fixing turns to Grindr – and it’s the most wholesome thing you’ll see today
Kieran Greenhook asked his neighbour to borrow his screwdriver on Grindr. (Kieran Greenhook / Getty)
Most people use Grindr for hook-ups or dates, but one man – when faced with a plumbing emergency – turned to the app for something altogether more practical.
Kieran Greenhook, who lives in Bristol, was in dire need of a flathead screwdriver when his sink broke, and with his bathroom slowly flooding around his feet, had no option but ask the neighbours for help.
So he fired up the apps.
“I just thought Grindr is the easiest way to find someone that is currently there and within walking distance” Kieran told PinkNews.
Kieran found the person closest to him and fired off a request for help, writing: “I’m not looking to f**k right now, but my bathroom sink is currently flooding the bathroom.
“I know it’s kind of random but can I borrow a flathead screwdriver by any chance? I don’t really know my neighbours and you’re the closest person to me on Grindr.”
Without hesitation Kieran’s Grindr connection said: “Yeah, why not.”
And with that, Kieran raced to the man’s house to get hold of his tool.
Kieran shared screenshots of the chat online, and the wholesome interaction has since gone viral, with more than 109,000 likes on his tweet.
“There’s no point me putting him out more by borrowing his things and making him go over to a strangers house,” he said.
“I did have a second of ‘am I just being really easy to murder right now’ but I got over it and carried on.”
There was no spark between the pair, but Kieran was invited to visit the neighbour again for a cup of tea, and says he would definitely appreciate having more local friends.
Kieran told PinkNews people have a lot of misconceptions about Grindr and says at times it’s viewed as an app for “pure sex and nothing else”. But after his wholesome experience, he believes the platform is much more than that.
“A lot of people are just on there because they’re bored, or don’t know many people or don’t wanna feel like they’re the only queer person wherever they are,” he says.
“It can be both isolating with the rejections and yet very communal with the conversations, a lot of my friends just use it as another form of contact or to big each other up when they have cute photos.”
Kieran’s screwdriver story isn’t his first neighbourly experience on the app. He says he’s previously gone online to find good takeaway recommendations when staying in new areas for the first time.
But he also adds that he hopes not to have to turn to Grindr again for home repairs as he prides himself in being “self-sufficient” and can “fix” most things.
But he is grateful to have “reliable access to local gay people in your pocket” if he’s ever in a pinch again.
