TRENTON, N.J. (BP)--eHarmony, Inc., the company behind the Internet matchmaking website founded by an evangelical psychologist and initially targeted to the Christian community, has decided to launch a new matchmaking website for homosexual singles instead of fighting a nearly four-year-old complaint in court.
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The news came as a shock to many pro-family leaders and attorneys, who expected the well-respected company -- still popular among Christian singles -- to take the matter to court. Those same leaders, though, say the news is another example of how laws protecting homosexuality are incompatible with religious freedom.
"The surest way to lose the culture war is refusing to fight."
-- Family Research Council Pres. Tony Perkins | eHarmony posted a statement on its website Nov. 19 announcing it had reached a settlement with the New Jersey attorney general, which began looking at the company early in 2005 when a homosexual man filed a complaint with the state alleging that the company's policy of matching only opposite-sex couples violated New Jersey's anti-discrimination law, which covers "sexual orientation."
According to the settlement, eHarmony will launch a new website, CompatiblePartners.net, aimed solely at the homosexual community. As part of the settlement, eHarmony, Inc. will advertise the website in homosexual media outlets, will allow the first 10,000 users to register free and will pay $50,000 to the attorney general's office and $5,000 to the man who filed the initial complaint. It also will post a statement on the new website saying its matchmaking strategy is based on research involving heterosexual couples and not homosexual couples.
eHarmony says it did not violate the law but felt the need to settle the case. It was represented by Theodore B. Olson, who served as solicitor general in President Bush's first term. Read More
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