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eHarmony Forced to Cater to Homosexuals

Dr. Warren had in past years defended the heterosexual structure of eHarmony as based on compatibility research that dealt only with heterosexual couples.

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TRENTON, New Jersey (LifeSiteNews) -A New Jersey man has won a settlement forcing eHarmony.com, a leading dating website founded by Christian Dr. Neil Warren, to offer homosexual dating services through an equivalent website, entitled "Compatible Partners."

The settlement ended a 3-year court battle in which eHarmony was accused of discriminating against homosexuals by operating a setup that did not extend searches to include partners of the same sex. In addition to setting up the new website, the settlement requires eHarmony to advertise its new site on gay websites and include pictures of same-sex matches in the "Diversity" section of the eHarmony website.

eHarmony will also pay a settlement fee of $5,000 to the plaintiff and $50,000 in court costs. The settlement acknowledges that eHarmony was not found to have violated New Jersey law.

"Although we believed that the complaint resulted from an unfair characterization of our business, we ultimately decided it was best to settle with the Attorney General since litigation outcomes can be unpredictable," eHarmony explained in a statement, adding that they, "look forward to moving beyond this legal dispute, which has been a burden for the company."

An eHarmony lawyer also told World Net Daily that the legal battle, which began in 2005, had become financially burdensome to the company.

During the dispute last year, Chemistry.com capitalized on eHarmony's exclusivity to male-female couples. The dating site, which is configured to facilitate homosexual matches, ran an advertisement featuring a man flipping through a magazine featuring semi-nude female models. After a while he closes the magazine and declares, “Nope, still gay.” The ad then declares that he was "rejected by eHarmony." "Who knows why eHarmony has rejected over a million people looking for love?" says a woman's voice, adding that people can come to Chemistry.com “as you are.”

eHarmony said the ads were misleading and asked to have them removed, but their requests were denied.

Dr. Warren had in past years defended the heterosexual structure of eHarmony as based on compatibility research that dealt only with heterosexual couples. Warren also argued in 2005 that eHarmony was geared toward legal marriage, and therefore did not pertain to homosexual unions.

The compatibility system foundational to eHarmony was first popularized through Focus on the Family, which gave the exposure that helped launch the website to its current status as one of the most popular dating websites available.

"No one would have ever dreamed that something like this could happen here," said a MassResistance report in response to the settlement.

"This is exactly what the homosexual movement had in mind when they pushed so hard a decade ago for Civil Rights laws to include 'sexual orientation,'" it continued. "It won't end here."

Some pro-family voices are critical of the settlement decision, saying Warren kowtowed too easily to homosexual pressure.

Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth wrote a strongly-worded letter to Dr. Warren chastising him for having "sold his soul (or at least eHarmony's)."

"You could have set an example to Christians and freedom-loving Americans everywhere by fighting on principle for your company’s First Amendment right not to be bullied into submission by a politically correct state bureaucracy," said LaBarbera. "Instead, you capitulated.

"In addition to hurting the cause of Christianity, you have damaged the cause of freedom and particularly religious freedom in America. It appears that eHarmony is no longer a 'match' for Integrity."

To view the official settlement, go to: http://www.nj.gov/oag/newsreleases08/pr20081119a-eHarmony-SA...

To contact New Jersey Civil Rights Division:
PO Box 090
Trenton, NJ 08625-0090
phone 609-292-4605

New Jersey Attorney General J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo:
P.O. Box 080
Trenton, NJ 08625-0080
phone 609-292-4925

To contact eHarmony.com:
888 E. Walnut Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101
phone 626-795-4814


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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

  1. Paul Molinari
    3 years ago

    Harold Olsen writes "Why should someone who owns a company be told what services they must render?" Mr. Olsen states that he is a grocery store owner. I wonder if (following his same logic) he believes he has the right to not sell groceries to homosexuals?

  2. Tabetha
    4 years ago

    If you are curious about homosexuality
    just say out loud now Jesus I believe
    and I receive you in my heart and remember
    Jesus loves you also leroyjenkins.com can
    help

  3. Clara
    4 years ago

    When you examine the profile for the New Jersey's Attorney General Director for discrimination issues (Mr. Vespa-Papaleo), a lot gets explained about why Eric McKinley was even allowed to use the system to harrass eHarmony in such a grotesque way:

    Mr. Vespa-Papaleo serves as Executive Director of the New Jersey Commission on Civil Rights. He is on the Executive Board of the GLBT Rights and Labor and Employment Law Sections of the New Jersey State Bar Association. In June 2007 he was elected Chairman of the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission, following his work on amending state law to provide legal protections for sexual and gender minorities. Director Vespa-Papaleo is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association.

    Born in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, Director Vespa-Papaleo became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1988. A resident of Bergen County, New Jersey, Mr. Vespa-Papaleo and his husband were married in California in June 2008.

    (more details about him on the Attorney General's web site)

  4. ann
    4 years ago

    eHarmony sold out Christianity for a buck. I would have fought with everything I had and if necessary, I would have given up my business rather than cave to sin.

    I am disgusted and frightened because this is just the beginning. The only freedom of choice some groups believe in is the freedom to kill innocent victims in their mother's wombs.

  5. Elizabeth
    4 years ago

    Agreed, Harold. Shame on eHarmony. It would have been better for them to shut down the business (or at least fight this lawsuit as hard as they could) than to give in to the homosexual agenda. I hope Christians stop using the site.

  6. Harold Olsen
    4 years ago

    Why should someone who owns a company be told what services they must render?

    If I own a grocery store and I choose to not sell tobacco or alcoholic products because I do not drink or smoke myself, should I be forced do sell them? Why, then, should a company that tries to match heterosexuals be forced to cater to homosexuals?

    If eHarmony was a dating service for homosexuals and did not offer their service to heterosexuals would they be forced to do so? I doubt it.

    Homosexuals make the claim that the rest of us are forcing our beliefs on them. Well, that is just what they are doing--forcing their beliefs and lifestyles on the rest of us. When Proposition 8 passed in California homosexual protestors were shouting that if we didn't like them then to stay out of their neighborhood. Well, I say the same to them. Keep out of our neighborhood and stop forcing yourselves on us!

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