Loading...
Summary: Religious-themed dating site Christian Mingle must now allow same-sex dating.
Gay Christians want love too, and now previously straights-only dating site Christian Mingle must service them. Last week, the site that caters to Christians was ordered to offer same-sex matching after a discrimination lawsuit had been filed against them.
In 2013, two gay men filed a lawsuit in California against the site’s owner Spark Networks, stating that the website’s refusal to offer LGBT matches was discriminatory. The recent settlement now requires Christian Mingle to make it easier for gay and lesbians to find each other on the site and to pay the plaintiffs $9,000/each and cover their legal fees which amounted to a whopping $450,000.
The plaintiffs were represented by Custodio & Dubey LLP.
Christian Mingle as well as Catholic Mingle, Adventist Singles Connection, and Black Singles must also allow same-sex dating. These sites were a part of Spark Networks’ umbrella of niche dating sites.
Get JD Journal in Your Mail
Subscribe to our FREE daily news alerts and get the latest updates on the most happening events in the legal, business, and celebrity world. You also get your daily dose of humor and entertainment!!
Spark Networks also owns Jewish-dating site, JDate, which was not included in this settlement.
BizPac Review, a right-wing publication expressed its dismay, stating that the judgment was “yet another attack on liberty.” The plaintiff’s lawyer Vineet Dubey said banning same-sex matches was an obvious violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which requires businesses to accommodate everyone despite their sexual orientation.
“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,” Dubey told the Wall Street Journal.
Do you think religious-themed dating websites should be exempt from California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Photo courtesy of The Irish World
