Eharmony and gays
As a gay guy, Eric McKinley felt disenfranchised by online dating service eHarmony’s policy of matching only heterosexual couples. Founded in 2000 by an evangelical Christian psychologist who says he’s counseled thousands of couples, every one of them straight, eHarmony is famous for its 400-question application, which seeks to pair like-minded singles for marriage and to weed out the ones who aren’t ready to walk that path.Though originally targeted at Christians, eHarmony now places more emphasis on values than on faith. The site boasts that it serves “a vast array of ethnicities, ages and religions.” But you have to fetch past the first screen, which requires you to register as either “man seeking a woman” or “woman pursuing a man.”
That left out McKinley, who found the life “hurtful.” So he sued. In a settlement announced last week, eHarmony agreed to set up a separate site for gay matches. It will also pay McKinley $5,000 and provide free six-month subscriptions for the first 10,000 gay members.
Talk about hollow triumphs. Would you want to put your adore life in the hands of an organization that thinks y
eHarmony's new inclusive ads are enraging some on the right
Once viewed as unwelcoming to the LGBTQ community, popular online matchmaker eHarmony has gone through a queer-friendly rebranding of late.
The site, which boasts more than 2 million messages a week, began offering same-sex matches in 2019. This winter, it launched its first queer-inclusive commercial, featuring a queer woman couple.
The ad, “I Scream,” is part of eHarmony’s current “Real Love” campaign and opens on a female couple in their kitchen. In between kisses, one woman tastes her partner’s cooking and makes it clear she’s not a fan. The pair wind up on the couch enjoying a pint of ice cream and going in for another peck.
“Being loyal with each other,” a voiceover announces. “Saying yes to superb ideas. eHarmony — here for real love.”
Gareth Mandel, chief operating officer at eHarmony, told NBC News it was important that “our ad campaigns, our platform, and everything else we perform accurately reflect what real devote, real dating and real relationships look like both today and always.”
“We’ve spent substantial time recently bringing our entire team together to formalize a company mission and values statement
eharmony has announced a significant update to its internet dating app to better assist LGBTQ daters.
Beginning today, eharmony members will be qualified to choose from an expanded list of genders to authentically share who they are on the platform. This update stems from eharmony’s ongoing engagement to providing a platform that is safe, inclusive and welcoming for all of its members, and its mission to facilitate all members find genuine love.
As LGBTQ identification rises–especially among Gen Z, it’s essential for platforms to consider and implement attempts of inclusion to assist all users. Transgender people, in particular, face specific issues on dating apps so eharmony’s addition of greater ways for users to share information about their gender will authorize for people to unite more authentically and talk to issues of self-expression and safety.
GLAAD consulted with eharmony on how to improved serve the LGBTQ people by helping identify ways for people to state themselves more authentically on the platform and excel match with people they’re looking to date and connect with. GLAAD also worked with the business on information and resources to help educate eharmony staff as well as leadership on
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–eHarmony, the company that built much of its early success by advertising in Christian media, has launched a parallel matchmaking website for homosexuals, billing it as service that helps foster “serious relationships for the homosexual and lesbian community.”
The CompatiblePartners.net website went live in recent days, several months after eHarmony and the New Jersey attorney general’s office announced a settlement to an analysis that began nearly four years earlier when a queer man filed a complaint alleging that eHarmony — which at the period didn’t match queer couples — was in violation of state law. Fresh Jersey has an anti-discrimination law covering “sexual orientation.”
As part of the November settlement, eHarmony agreed to launch the website, advertise it in homosexual media and allow the first 10,000 users to register for free. The unused website features pictures of men holding hands and women hugging and claims to be a “site for singles seeking a long-term, same-sex relationship.” But research shows such relationships, particularly ones involving men, are short-lived and rarel