eHarmony Backlash for Pseudo-Gay-Outreach

eHarmony is finally offering a dating service for gay people — though it’s not part of their flagship site. It’s a separate-but-equal site.

They’re getting flak for it, though, from religious conservatives.

Like this woman, for example:

From: Jan
Sent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 5:34 PM
To: ncwarren@eharmony.com [Dr. Neil Clark Warren, founder, eHarmony.com]
Subject: unbelievable

Dear Mr. Warren:

I was absolutely shocked that you would cave into the homosexual agenda, by offering date-matching for homosexuals on your “Christian” dating website. They have their own dating websites which I understand to be extremely X-rated.

I have several single and widowed friends who use your website. I will be sending an e-mail to them about your caving into EVIL and that they should not use your website — ever again.

Extremely disappointed,

Jan
Crystal Lake, IL

She may be confusing X-Rated with purely hookup sites. And she doesn’t seem to know gay people will get a site with a different domain name.

That said, I have sudden urge to want to use eHarmony now…

At the risk of using a strong word, this must be one of those “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” sort of things.

(via Pam’s House Blend)

Zar

Jeez. You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.
Sean

I love the “which I understand…” statements people like this make. That’s just code for “I’m lazy or scared of facing my own hypocrisy and I don’t want to see it for myself for fear of losing all my assumptions about people I don’t understand.” FSM forbid you should try to learn about a situation for yourself. And for some reason I’m hearing this email read in Sarah Palin’s voice in my head. Please make it stop…
Awesomesauce

I really hope this isn’t the Jan with whom I work.
Doreen

Aren’t atheists the other banned group from e-harmony? My boyfriend tried to sign up a few years back, before we were dating, and he was either rejected because he was an atheist or there was no option for the non-religious crowd when/if they asked for religious affiliation.
Old Beezle

“Cave into the homosexual agenda?” ???
I guess that’s Xian code for “they got sued and lost because their practices were discriminatory.”

Sounds kind of like those “activist judges” in California who had the gall to declare Prop 22 unconstitutional. Wacky!

I LOVE it when Xians replace law and logic with their ominous-sounding propaganda catch-phrases!

Oh to live in such a simple world…[sigh]
la la la la la ho hum la la la ta da la la
gsaj

Well, I met my significant-other on eHarmony and she was listed as “Neither spiritual nor religious”, so I don’t think that in it of itself it is a damning criteria (at least nowadays). I think that they are more likely to reject people who have inconsistencies in their questionnaire, aren’t interested in marriage, or appear hopelessly cynical.