eHarmony Forced to Create Gay Dating Site After Lawsuit
Friday 21st November 2008
eHarmony, one of the world’s largest online dating services, has been forced to create a gay and lesbian dating service following a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey man.
eHarmony has defended their lack of same-sex capability in the past by saying the site was about marriage, and gays cannot marry in most of the US.
eHarmony was founded by psychologist, marriage counsellor and relationship advice author Dr Neil Clark Warren. Dr Warren had theorized that certain personal characteristics could predict a couple’s compatibility. In the late 90s, Dr Warren began researching his theory in earnest and created the scientific predictive model that the site uses to match members.
The site, with its idea of a scientific way to predict an excellent partner, attracted millions of users after its launch in 2000. The site now has approximately 20 million members, and more than 10,000 people a day are estimated to take the site’s comprehensive compatibility questionnaire.
The site has come about due to the actions of a man called Eric McKinley. In 2005 Mr. McKinley was looking for a potential date online. He came to eHarmony and found that they did not have an option for gay individuals. McKinley filed a discrimination suit via the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights.
Warren has spoken several times before on eHarmony’s lack of same-sex dating services. Firstly, he said, he has not done as much research on same-sex relationship compatibility as he has heterosexual compatibility. Secondly, eHarmony is very much about its members getting married, and gay marriage is illegal in most of the US.
However, there are alternate explanations that have been less publicly discussed by Dr Warren. Warren is an evangelical Christian, meaning he not only believes in the Christian faith but feels compelled to spread the message of Christianity. He has strong ties with the group Focus on the Family, an ultra-conservative, extremely anti-gay political action group based in Colorado Springs.
Focus on the Family has been criticized by gay rights groups for their anti-gay preaching and political activism, as well as its strong support of the “ex-gay” movement, which holds that gays can be “cured” of homosexuality, usually through a mixture of therapy and prayer. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, the latter of which Dr Warren most likely belongs to, have stated that the ex-gay therapy promoted by Focus on the Family can actually be extremely harmful to the mental health of those who undergo it.
However, eHarmony seems to have caved in the face of potentially expensive litigation. McKinley’s suit was recently joined by a suit filed by San Francisco-based lesbian Linda Carlson, who sued the site for denying her access because of her sexuality.
Rather than face the prospect of potentially massive payments for discrimination if the case went to court, the site relented and has agreed to create the new same-sex dating site. Under the terms of the agreement McKinley’s suit will be dropped, with eHarmony paying him $5,000 and paying another $50,000 in administrative costs but admitting no liability. The site, which will be called Compatible Partners, will launch by the end of March 2009.
eHarmony has defended their lack of same-sex capability in the past by saying the site was about marriage, and gays cannot marry in most of the US.
eHarmony was founded by psychologist, marriage counsellor and relationship advice author Dr Neil Clark Warren. Dr Warren had theorized that certain personal characteristics could predict a couple’s compatibility. In the late 90s, Dr Warren began researching his theory in earnest and created the scientific predictive model that the site uses to match members.
The site, with its idea of a scientific way to predict an excellent partner, attracted millions of users after its launch in 2000. The site now has approximately 20 million members, and more than 10,000 people a day are estimated to take the site’s comprehensive compatibility questionnaire.
The site has come about due to the actions of a man called Eric McKinley. In 2005 Mr. McKinley was looking for a potential date online. He came to eHarmony and found that they did not have an option for gay individuals. McKinley filed a discrimination suit via the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights.
Warren has spoken several times before on eHarmony’s lack of same-sex dating services. Firstly, he said, he has not done as much research on same-sex relationship compatibility as he has heterosexual compatibility. Secondly, eHarmony is very much about its members getting married, and gay marriage is illegal in most of the US.
However, there are alternate explanations that have been less publicly discussed by Dr Warren. Warren is an evangelical Christian, meaning he not only believes in the Christian faith but feels compelled to spread the message of Christianity. He has strong ties with the group Focus on the Family, an ultra-conservative, extremely anti-gay political action group based in Colorado Springs.
Focus on the Family has been criticized by gay rights groups for their anti-gay preaching and political activism, as well as its strong support of the “ex-gay” movement, which holds that gays can be “cured” of homosexuality, usually through a mixture of therapy and prayer. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, the latter of which Dr Warren most likely belongs to, have stated that the ex-gay therapy promoted by Focus on the Family can actually be extremely harmful to the mental health of those who undergo it.
However, eHarmony seems to have caved in the face of potentially expensive litigation. McKinley’s suit was recently joined by a suit filed by San Francisco-based lesbian Linda Carlson, who sued the site for denying her access because of her sexuality.
Rather than face the prospect of potentially massive payments for discrimination if the case went to court, the site relented and has agreed to create the new same-sex dating site. Under the terms of the agreement McKinley’s suit will be dropped, with eHarmony paying him $5,000 and paying another $50,000 in administrative costs but admitting no liability. The site, which will be called Compatible Partners, will launch by the end of March 2009.
Do you want to join Pinke's team of paid writers? We're looking for writers all over the world to write about the gay issues that matter all over the globe.
We will consider writers from anywhere in the globe and articles on any subject, but we are looking especially for specialists in:
-travel writing
-the financial industry
Email Pinke editor Robert Knox for more information.
