ChristianMingle Loses Lawsuit, Will Have to Accommodate Members Looking for Same-Sex Relationships

Company Agrees to Let People Search for Same-Sex Partners

Popular online dating website ChristianMingle will no longer be able to keep out people looking for same-sex relationships. A California judge ruled Thursday Spark Networks, which also operates CatholicMingle, AdventistSinglesConnection, and BlackSingles, must treat people looking for same-sex partners equally.

The ruling is the result of a three-year long class action lawsuit brought by two gay men who charged the company was operating in a discriminatory manner, violating California’s anti-discrimination law, The Wall Street Journal reports.

“The Unruh Civil Rights Act, requires ‘business establishments’ to offer ‘full and equal accommodations’ to people regardless of their sexual orientation,” the Journal explains.

Now, the website’s front page will only ask if a customer is a man or a woman, and within two years will upgrade its software to provide an experience more “tailored” to gays and lesbians, the paper reports.

Spark Networks’ other sites, except JDate, for Jewish singles, will also have to comply. JDate was not part of the lawsuit.

ChristianMinge, whch calls itself “the largest and most trusted Christian dating site,” claims to have more than 9 million members and is based in Los Angeles.

 

Image: Screenshot via ChristianMingle.com