Reject no longer
Dating site eHarmony settled a discrimination lawsuit brought by the New Jersey's Division for Civil Rights (DCR), which accused the relationship site of failing to provide same-sex matching as part of its service.
The suit was brought by 46-year-old Eric McKinley, who was refused the option to place a personal ad for a man on the dating site in 2005. He subsequently filed a complaint with the state, citing violation of its Law Against Discrimination (LAD).
In July '07, the DCR issued a Finding of Probable Cause that eHarmony had violated the LAD, prompting the company to file a Motion for Reconsideration of the finding. (The motion was pending at the time of the settlement.)
Under the terms of the settlement, the company will pay him $5,000, plus dues of 10 times that amount to the state division to cover administrative costs.
In an official statement, eHarmony maintained that the complaint resulted from "an unfair characterization of our business" but chose to settle with the Attorney General because "litigation outcomes can be unpredictable."
eHarmony has until March 31 to launch a gay dating site. The site will be called "Compatible Partners"; eHarmony will offer 10,000 free six-month subscriptions to interested parties.
However, the company reserves the right to inform those using the new service that the Compatibility Matching System™ developed by eHarmony is solely based on research involving married heterosexual couples.
Last year, a Northern California woman sued eHarmony for alleged discrimination against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. In that suit — and in a similar one in 2005 — California courts concluded that eHarmony had not violated its discrimination laws.
To use eHarmony's service, users must fill out a lengthy "personality" test that assess their personalities and compatibility potential. It is not uncommon for select profiles — including homosexual users — to be refused service by the site after filling out the survey. In 2007, rival dating site Match.com launched a new destination, Chemistry.com, with an ad campaign that prominently featured "rejects" of the eHarmony system.
