The eHarmony Shakedown
Congratulations, tolerance mau-mauers: Your shakedown of a Christian-targeted dating website worked. Homosexuals will no longer be denied the inalienable "right" to hook up with same-sex partners on eHarmony. What a landmark triumph for social progress, eh?
New Jersey plaintiff Eric McKinley can now crown himself the new Rosa Parks — heroically breaking down inhumane barriers to Internet matchmaking by forcing a law-abiding private company to provide services it was never created to provide. "Men seeking men" has now been enshrined with "I have a dream" as a civil rights rallying cry of the 21st century. Bully for you, Mr. McKinley. You bully.
Neil Warren, eHarmony's founder, is a gentle, grandfatherly businessman who launched his popular dating site to support heterosexual marriage. A "Focus on the Family" author with a divinity degree, Warren encourages healthy, lasting unions between men and women of all faiths, mixed faiths or no faith at all.
Don't like what eHarmony sells? Go somewhere else. There are thousands upon thousands of dating sites on the Internet that cater to gays, lesbians, Jews, Muslims, Trekkies, runners, you name it.
No matter. In the name of tolerance, McKinley refused to tolerate eHarmony's right to operate a lawful business that didn't give him what he wanted. He filed a discrimination complaint against eHarmony with the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights in 2005.
To be clear: eHarmony never, ever refused to do business with anyone. The company broke no laws. Their great "sin" was not providing a politically correct service that a publicity-seeking gay plaintiff demanded they provide. For three years, the company battled McKinley's legal shakedown artists — and staved off other opportunists as well. The dating site had been previously sued by a lesbian looking to force the company to match her up with another woman, and by a married man who ridiculously sought to force the company to find him prospects for an adulterous relationship.
This case is akin to a meat-eater suing a vegetarian restaurant for not offering him a rib-eye, or a female patient suing a vasectomy doctor for not providing her hysterectomy services. But rather than defend the persecuted business, the New Jersey attorney general intervened on behalf of the gay plaintiff and wrangled an agreement out of eHarmony to change its entire business model.
The company agreed not only to offer same-sex dating services on a new site, but also to offer six-month subscriptions for free to 10,000 gay users, pay McKinley $5,000 and fork over $50,000 to New Jersey's Civil Rights division "to cover investigation-related administrative costs." Oh, and that's not all. Yield, yield to the grievance-mongers:
Additional terms of the settlement include:
— eHarmony, Inc. will post photos of same-sex couples in the "Diversity" section of its website as successful relationships are created using the company's same-sex matching service. In addition, eHarmony, Inc. will include photos of same-sex couples, as well as individual same-sex users, in advertising materials used to promote its same-sex matching services;
— eHarmony, Inc. will revise anti-discrimination statements placed on company websites, in company handbooks and other company publications to make plain that it does not discriminate on the basis of "sexual orientation";
— the company has committed to advertising and public relations/ marketing dedicated to its same-sex matching service, and will retain a media consultant experienced in promoting the "fair, accurate and inclusive" representation of gay and lesbian people in the media to determine the most effective way of reaching the gay and lesbian communities.
I have enormous sympathy for eHarmony, whose attorney explained that they gave in to the unfair settlement because "litigation outcomes can be unpredictable." The recent mob response to the passage of Proposition 8, the traditional marriage measure in California, must have also weighed on eHarmony management's minds. But capitulation will only yield a worse, entirely predictable outcome: more shakedowns of private businesses that hold views deemed unacceptable by the Equality-at-All-Costs Brigade.
Perhaps heterosexual men and women should start filing lawsuits against gay dating websites and undermine their businesses. Coerced tolerance and diversity-by-fiat cut both ways.
Michelle Malkin is author of "Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild." Her e-mail address is malkinblog@gmail.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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9 Comments | Post Comment
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Another sad day in the life. Guess if you have money enough you can stave off rediculous law suits but eventually they win out because they have the cash to wear you down ... mine and yours! Never mind the idea of eclectivness or personal wants, personal beliefs, personal likes, and personal desires, apparently we must be all diverse in all things, at all times and in all ways. Sadly, we must also pay for it even if that diversity makes us puke! Speaking not merely for myself, I want nothing what-so-ever to do with a "odd" (notice I dare not use the word queer!) who wants to have a relationship with me because I'm a man and they like men. That is absolutely repulsive to me. This is only the tip of an enormus iceberg. One good thing about "diverse" persons ... they can't reproduce! There IS a God!!
Comment: #1
Posted by: bill s
Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:47 AM
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The sodomites seem to be winning, but history is definitely NOT on their side. They have been responsible for the downfall of many cities and nations, and this Jesse Jackson-like thuggery seems to work for the nonce, but in the end, it is the End. Sadly, those who are repulsed by their lifestyle and tactics must suffer because of their sin. So be it.
Comment: #2
Posted by: Juanito Verde
Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:01 AM
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Well, well, well! Just another step in the Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Barak Obama extortion machine. The Race Pimps have been doing this for years and getting away scott free with it. After all, ACORN is the new mafia and Obama was one of its capos. Ms. Malkin, with all due respect for your intelligence (and I have a great deal), I think that our complaint is with the judges. This type of extortion through our deeply flawed legal system should have been thrown out of court upon its presentation, and the plaintiff should have been assessed court and opponent legal costs. If ever there was a suit without merit, it is this one. I am embarrassed for our legal system, to say nothing about being embarrassed BY it.
Comment: #3
Posted by: Jobe
Fri Nov 21, 2008 8:31 AM
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Re: Jobe; ...You know, the legal system does not work any better for you than for me... Since your side has all the guns, maybe you should show one to the judge...A gun is like a Queen or an Ace... It beats everything, including a rational argument...Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #4
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Fri Nov 21, 2008 6:48 PM
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Re: bill s;...Say, Bill have you ever asked a cute-ish sort fo girl to dance only to find out half way through the song that she was a rearranged he??? Or how about having some great big homosexual try to pick you up and turn you into his love bunny??? It is a tough world out there, and everybody needs love, I guess; but just consider how you might feel if the gays were wearing the political pants and they said girls were off limits, and sinful and all that????I know that liberty and justice for all is pretty much nonsense, but since nothing works, and we don't have liberty and justice for all, perhaps that is the missing quality..... Do you suppose it is possible that any sort of arrangement of society that encourages stabile relationships has got to be better than people feeling like criminals just because of the way they were born??? I mean, I take my sexuality seriously, and I try not to shove it down anyone throat, and all, but such things are essential to every person's self perception... I would bet that most guys would say: I am a man, before they would say they are a human being. But long term, it is a perception through a human consciousness, and human values, and the cultivation of human relationships that will really determine whether when we die it is a piece of rotting meat that is buried, or a bit of a dream shared by all...I think it is a shame that the switch that is flipped in homosexuals goes right to the default setting... I think it is a shame we cannot get beyond sexual consciousness... I know I never have, but at the same time, as the madness of sexuality has fallen from me with age, I take joy in the love end of life, and it makes me happy that the poor gays can find some one to cuddle with and comfort too... I don't begrudge anyone love... I wish even you knew what it was...Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #5
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:13 PM
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Re: Juanito Verde;... It might be written that the homosexuals will suffer for their sin, but I would bet they suffer plenty without the sin; since everybody else does....All I know is that I can't judge them because God has not given me that authority, and I find I am rather much like Abraham barganing with God to save sodom rather than destroy the innocent with the guilty... One thing I tell you honestly I do not do; and that is to short God one little bit...I look out at the firmament, which my dictionary says is Greek, for the result of power, and I know God can handle himself/herself and doesn't need little old me casting judgements around like a fishing lure.... All I got to do is see Jesus in the least of my brothers, and stand by the ten commandments like I haven't already broke 9.5 of them, and forgive and turn the other cheek... Now, what is so hard about that???With that I get peace on earth... What do you get with all the hate envy hate??? Thanks...Sweeney
Comment: #6
Posted by: James A, Sweeney
Fri Nov 21, 2008 7:39 PM
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eHaromony gave in to a blackmailer without a fight. The term politically correct refers to being wishy washy on issues, blowing first one way then the other....
I can not believe that eHarmony was not confident enough to know that their rights were also being infringed on. One can take this to the next level, imagine suing a company that sells underware for only carrying boxer shorts and not thongs.
Cow One is NOT Cow Two, is NOT Cow Three! As is now common knowledge, proven scientifically, the chromosomal aberration (defect) which causes homosexuality, has nothing to do with this issue, or even remotely linked - which was what Malkin was pushing for, to a prejudice against homosexuals!!! eHarmony's target audience was in no way shape or form as being detrimental in any form to the chromosomal aberrational physical make up of that community.
As one reader here suggested, there are sites strictly designed to appease to this brand of customers. They should use them.
If eHarmony was a business that used public funds to exist, then I would say that the chromosomal sexual aberrational person was correct in his quest for litigation - using public funds for a private venture. But this is not the case here.
Logic dictates that the accuser was and is guilty of deliberately attempting to ruin a hetrosexual service to bring notice to a minority group - the chromosomal sexual aberrational group known as the gay community.
Comment: #7
Posted by: Reverend Joseph Leiato
Mon Nov 24, 2008 7:26 AM
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"The term politicallly correct refers to being wishy washy on issues" <----- wow, str8 from Fox news on that one Rev. Joseph. I'd hate to hear a sermon if this is the level of intelligence you spew forth. You know a lot of clergy men have molested and ruined the young lives of many men and women. So, if that is happening in your sacred place, then why don't you fight that circumstance with the same vigor as gay people getting rights? To me, the epidemic of religious people molesting kids is of far greater concern to this country than bob and bob getting a marraige license.
Seriously Michelle, this is a cause worth championing? Who is really taking the time and effort to think of such hate? No one but you and your fading band of closet homosexual red state country bumpkins, that;s who. Michelle Malkin is a self hating, insecure, bigot who needs to be satisfied by a real man so he can pump the hate of her.
Bill S- Um, your assumption that a gay man would automatically hit on you because he is gay really leads me to believe you have all sorts of bigotry and intelligence problems. Gay doesn't = sex crazed child molester. I'm sorry you read malkin and were raised by moronic stimuli which enabled such dribble, but you need to understand it's a good thing to be diverse. Diversity will help us all reach a common societal viewpoint. So you can either stay on the fear wagon currently operated by Michelle "how do my teeth look" Malkin, or pray the rest of society will take you back when you discover O-P-E-N M-I-N-D-E-D-N-E-S-S.
Michelle you are a disease on journalism. Would you even get published in your native country? Would you even have a job? yeah, maybe webcam girl. Keep that mouth closed though
Comment: #8
Posted by: J
Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:43 AM
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Re: J. Way to completely miss the point. Amidst all your hate for the champions of traditional values, you went off on a tangent and never found your way back. The point is that a private company was forced, via the court system, to provide a service which it didn't want to provide, namely, homosexual matchmaking services. It never refused to do business with any customer, in fact, it would have been happy to attempt to match the plaintiff up with a woman. Michelle's thesis here is that eHarmony had its rights as a corporate entity unfairly infringed upon, a thesis which has absolutely nothing whatever to do with the cause of "gay rights" or the morality of homosexual couplings/relationships. But since we're on the subject - calm down, take a chill pill, and realize that those "red state bumpkins" of yours are tired, too...tired of gay activists cramming their views down the throats of everyone else, claiming discrimination where there isn't any, and fighting for non-existent "rights."
Comment: #9
Posted by: Matt
Tue Nov 25, 2008 2:05 PM
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