Considering the history of its constituents, a reasonable person might think the gay rights community would understand the benefits of a live-and-let-live mentality. As the whole Proposition 8 business in California — from the suit that led to the court ruling to the continued protests this week after losing at the polls — and now this detestable business show, a reasonable person would be wrong.
A settlement Wednesday between eHarmony Inc. and the New Jersey attorney general requires the online heterosexual dating service to also cater to homosexuals, raising questions about whether other services that target a niche clientele could be forced to expand their business models.
The settlement stemmed from a complaint, filed with the New Jersey attorney general’s office by a gay match seeker in 2005, that eHarmony had violated his rights under the state’s discrimination law by not offering a same-sex dating service. In 2007, the attorney general found probable cause that eHarmony had violated the state’s Law Against Discrimination.
So much for private rights of association. eHarmony is a private organization that provides a service people want. For whatever reasons — be they economic, religious, or homophobic — it doesn’t want to cater to gay people. It has an effing right to do that. If there’s a niche market for a civil union/marriage-focused gay dating website, there’s nothing in the world stopping anyone from doing it. Of course, that’s far more work and not nearly as emotionally satisfying as legally forcing someone to do your bidding and making them to pay thousands and create a new product line against their will.
Posted by Tom in Politics