eHarmony launches gay/lesbian compatibility dating site

April 1st, 2009

It’s finally happened! The gay and lesbian dating site from eHarmony has launched. CompatiblePartners offers all the best features of eHarmony ( and eHarmony UK ) for gay and lesbian singles who are looking for serious relationships.

The site’s launch follows a legal battle, as eHarmony were sued for their refusal to allow non-heterosexual daters on their sites. After losing the battle, they finally decided to invite gays to their compatibility matching party, but decided to keep things separate, possibly to avoid putting off their more conservative members or to appeal to their founder’s own conservative views. Either way, the site is now up and running and looks every bit as shiny as its hetero counterparts.

The interesting bit is that the site’s compatibility test has been changed very little (if at all) and is practically identical to the standard eHarmony questionnaire. eHarmony claimed for years that gay dating is so different from heterosexual dating, that they simply couldn’t allow gays on their site and give accurate results. So how can the new site deliver results with exactly the same set of questions? Unless, of course, they are now saying there isn’t that much difference after all?

I wonder if eHarmony’s plan is to set up a site that is not that great, but *appears* to be adequate (in order to appease the courts), then when it fails, they are covered. for the gay community, this poses a dilemma: do you play into eHarmony’s hands by avoiding the site, or do you play into their hands by giving them your money?

I think it’s obvious to everyone that eHarmony only changed their views about gay dating because they were made to by law. If you dislike their *real* stance (which, let’s face it, is pretty anti-gay and conservative), do you really want to help their growth?

On the other hand, gay dating sites that are designed for serious relationships, are not at all common compared to the more meat markety kind. In the UK/Europe, there is Gay Parship, but I am not sure what equivalent dedicated sites are in the US (please feel free to tell me of any!).

To encourage members to join, CompatiblePartners are currently offering free 6 month membership. Could be a good way to have a look without actually supporting the site financially? I’d have a good read of the terms, though!

Related posts:

1. 7 days free trial on eHarmony UK
2. MatchAffinity – a new dating site with compatibility testing
3. New relationship compatibility test to try
4. eHarmony UK discounts
5. eHarmony free communications weekend

Entry Filed under: Online Dating News