TRENTON, N.J. — The online matchmaking site eHarmony has agreed to launch a same-sex matching service next March after settling allegations that the company violated New Jersey’s anti-discrimination law by excluding gays and lesbians.
A New Jersey gay man filed a complaint with the state in 2005, saying eHarmony violated his rights by not offering a same-sex matching option. For the last three years, eHarmony has battled the allegations, finally settling with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division on Civil Rights.
“Though we believed the complaint resulted from an unfair characterization of our business, we ultimately decided it was best to settle this case with the attorney general since litigation outcomes can be unpredictable,” said eHarmony legal counsel Theodore B. Olson.
eHarmony founder Neil Clark Warren, a self-professed “passionate” evangelical Christian, had worked closely with Colorado-based Focus on the Family in launching the site. Warren has said the site is open to all faiths, but until the settlement eHarmony declined to take listings for same-sex couples.
The new site, Compatible Partners, will be accessible through the eharmony.com Web site but will remain separate so members from one will not be matched with members from the other. (TAB)
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