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Blog - Amplify your voice

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 4:50:00 AM EST


After nearly three years of litigation Dr. Warren and co. over at eHarmony got the message that, gosh darned it, gay and lesbian people want to have serious relationships too.

The makers of eHarmony already had a site dedicated to individuals seeking same-sex relationships called Compatible Partners. So what was the problem?

Initially, Compatible Partners did not exist. It was created by eHarmony in a settlement from a similar class action lawsuit in New Jersey.

Secondly, bisexual users of eHarmony services had to pay two fees in order to search for heterosexual and same-sex relationships, even though someone using eHarmony did not need to pay an extra fee to conduct searches in exciting categories such as “Black” and “Senior” dating.

Californians felt this was in poor business practice and segregated customers based on sexual orientation, which provided grounds on which to sue.

Although the creators of the site admit no wrongdoing they agreed to add a category for those seeking same-sex relationships to their homepage. Additionally, the one fee will apply to both straight and GLBT users of eHarmony.

So why was there so much resistance to this decision?  Well, creator Robert Warren claims his matchmaking technique has only been studied in heterosexual couples. But the foot dragging was likely based on the fact that Warren is an evangelical Christian, and did not want to lose the support of "pro-family" groups. Yikes.

Personally, I am really surprised they folded, but maybe it’s a sign of the times? A sign that the days of neglecting the gay and lesbian population of America is no longer a decision that goes without consequences, and both a company’s image, as well as their pocketbook are at stake.

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Comments
Oh I read about this too... thanks for posting a blog on it!  I think you hit the nail on the head when you said their pocketbook was at stake.
# Posted By  kathleenmysistahs | 1/30/10 06:07 PM | Report | Reply
Their pocketbook was at stake yes, but I'm sure that didn't cross their minds when they originally created eHarmony.
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# Posted By Nerissa | 7/2/10 11:14 PM | Report | Reply
Ah yes, must make sure to keep the Christians happy by demonising the LGBTQ community. I've also been informed that your application will be denied if you put down that you're an athiest, having never tried it I can't confirm this. However, after finding out about how they treat homosexuals it wouldn't surprise me!
# Posted By  talknerdytome | 7/4/10 07:14 PM | Report | Reply
Well, I'm glad their policy has changed now. It's unfortunate that it took so long. But when more "small" steps like this are taken, they really add up to social equality.
# Posted By Mahayana | 7/4/10 11:33 PM | Report | Reply