News
2007-06-05
California
lesbian sues eHarmony.com for discrimination
A Northern
California woman sued the online dating service eHarmony on
Thursday, alleging it discriminates against gays, lesbians
A Northern
California woman sued the online dating service eHarmony on
Thursday, alleging it discriminates against gays, lesbians,
and bisexuals.
Linda Carlson
said she tried to use the Internet site in February to meet
a woman but was refused based on her sexual orientation.
When Carlson wrote to eHarmony to complain, the
company refused to change its policy, according to the
lawsuit filed on her behalf in Los Angeles County
superior court.
The lawsuit
claims that by offering to find a compatible match only for
men seeking women or women seeking men, the company was
violating state law barring discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation.
''Such outright
discrimination is hurtful and disappointing for a
business open to the public in this day and age,'' Carlson
said in a statement.
The lawsuit names
Pasadena-based eHarmony.com Inc., company founder Neil
Clark Warren, and his wife, Marylyn, the company's former
vice president, as defendants. It seeks class-action
status, a jury trial, and unspecified damages.
The company,
which conducts extensive personality profiling before
introducing couples with matching values and interests,
denied the allegation.
''The research
that eHarmony has developed, through years of research, to
match couples has been based on traits and personality
patterns of successful heterosexual marriages,'' a
company statement said. ''Nothing precludes us from
providing same-sex matching in the future, it's just
not a service we offer now based upon the research we have
conducted.''
Warren is a
clinical psychologist who has written several books about
dating and relationships. (AP)
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 1