Compatible Partners

Compatible Partners is an online relationship service. Compatible Partners serves the gay and lesbian community, matching men and women with compatible singles of the same sex, taking into consideration what it considers the key dimensions of personality. Compatible Partners was launched by eHarmony Inc. on March 31, 2009. The website was launched in response to a settlement with the state of New Jersey, following a lawsuit against eHarmony for discrimination against same-sex couples.[1]

eHarmony was founded by Dr. Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist, with his son-in-law. When it began, eHarmony did not offer same-sex matches; Warren said "I take a real strong stand against same-sex marriage, anywhere that I can comment on it."

In 2010, eHarmony settled a separate class-action lawsuit filed in California that alleged illegal discrimination based on sexual orientation. The company, which did not admit wrongdoing, agreed to allow access to both its gay and straight dating sites with a single subscription, to display its gay dating services more prominently and to establish a settlement fund to pay people who can show they were harmed by the company's policies.