http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/03/31/eharmonys-same-sex-dating-site-launches/
In response to discrimination litigation, online dating site eHarmony will launch Tuesday the gay version of its heterosexual match-making service.
The site, Compatible Partners, was developed as part of a settlement last fall with the New Jersey attorney general. A gay user filed a complaint against eHarmony in 2005, citing the state’s discrimination law.
Compatible Partners mirrors the features of its sister site, beginning with the same extensive relationship-preferences questionnaire for which eHarmony is known. There are just a few minor modifications between the two 34-page documents. For example, an eHarmony question reads, “I greatly appreciate the physical beauty of the opposite sex.” The Compatible Partners version reads, “I greatly appreciate physical attractiveness when looking at people.” The company changed so little in the surveys that it put a disclosure on the Compatible Partners home page. The notice says the site was developed “on the basis of research involving married heterosexual couples.” It adds: “The company has not conducted similar research on same-sex relationships.”
Patrick Perrine, founder and CEO of myPartner.com, an online dating site for gay men, remains skeptical about eHarmony’s new venture. Mr. Perrine says the compatibility system on his site, matching men with other men, wouldn’t work for other pairings, such as lesbian women. “They’re very different populations that have very different needs,” he said.
EHarmony was founded in 2000 by Neil Clark Warren, an evangelical Christian and former clinical psychologist. Dr. Warren is no longer active in the daily management but remains the company’s chairman. When asked if the company’s religious roots would deter homosexuals from the site, eHarmony CEO Greg Waldorf said, “Our mission is to help our users find great long-term relationships,” adding, “We started in the opposite-sex market, which is where all of our experience was. That doesn’t mean we were against something.”
Last month, eHarmony was the sixth-most-visited online personals site, with roughly 2.3 million unique visitors, according to comScore. SinglesNet.com, which includes same-sex couples, was the leader in the category with almost 3.7 million unique visitors.