E Harmony, the online dating site long known for providing its services exclusively to heterosexuals (or at least people seeking a relationship with a member of the opposite sex) has agreed to create an similar service for homosexuals. Compatible Partners, the new service from the Pasadena based company, will launch sometime prior to March 31st following a settlement from a New Jersey lawsuit:
The lawsuit was filed by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division on Civil Rights. The case originated in 2005 when a New Jersey resident filed a formal complaint with that state, alleging that eHarmony violated his rights under the state’s Law Against Discrimination by not offering a same-sex matching service.
In July 2007, the director of New Jersey’s Division on Civil Rights issued a “finding of probable cause” that eHarmony had violated the discrimination law. [Daily News]
E Harmony has argued previously that the reason they haven’t offered services to same sex couples is that their system is based on “29 dimensions of compatibility” found on heterosexual couples they’ve studied. Their new site will be based on the same research, which they suggest may not work for same sex couples… which, of course, isn’t keeping them from putting their oft used word “compatible” into the name and url of the new service, CompatiblePartners.com.
1 response so far ↓
Burns! // November 20, 2008 at 4:11 pm |
So, why would anyone from the gay community be interested in giving their money to a company like eHarmony? Worse than just “tolerating” homosexuals, it seems eHarmony does so only under duress.