July 5, 2016
After Lawsuit, Dating Site Christian Mingle Must Allow Gay Users
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The dating site ChristianMingle.com will now have to accept users in search of same-sex partners, following a discrimination lawsuit, The Wall Street Journal reported last week.
Two gay men filed a class-action suit against Sparks Networks Inc. in California in 2013. The men alleged ChristianMingle.com and a number of other sites under Spark Networks excluded users looking for same-sex matches.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Christian Mingle, which calls itself the largest online community for Christian singles, required users to specify if they're a man seeking a woman or a woman seeking a man. The two men who sued the dating site said the limited options violated California's anti-discrimination law. The state's Unruh Civil Rights Act requires "business establishments" to offer "full and equal accommodations to people of their sexual orientation."
Now the homepage for Spark Networks' websites will now just ask if a user is a man or a woman. The company also agreed in two years, it would change other searching and features for its LGBT users. Other dating sites the ruling will impact include CatholicMingle.com, AdventistSinglesConnection.com and BlackSingles.com.
Sparks Networks also agreed to pay the two plaintiffs $9,000 each and the $450,000 in attorneys' fees.
"I am gratified that we were able to work with Spark to help ensure that people can fully participate in all the diverse market places that make our country so special, regardless of their sexual orientation," one of the lead plaintiffs' attorneys, Vineet Dubey of Custodio & Dubey LLP, said in a statement.
A rep for Spark Networks told The Wall Street Journal the company was "please to resolve this litigation."
Mic.com notes right-wing media isn't happy with the ruling, however. BizPac Review wrote the change is a "terrible blow - yet another attack on liberty." Red State published an article called "Christian Dating Site Attacked By LGBT Activists and Suffers the Consequences."
