OkCupid hits Mozilla over gay marriage

Online dating site OkCupid is launching a public protest against Mozilla over gay rights.

Starting Monday evening, people visiting the site through Mozilla’s Firefox Web browser were met with a message asking them to switch browsers, calling Mozilla chief executive Brendan Eich “an opponent of equal rights for gay couples.”

“[W]e’ve devoted the last ten years to bringing people — all people — together. If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we’ve worked so hard to bring about would be illegal,” the company added.

{mosads}“Equality for gay relationships is personally important to many of us here at OkCupid. But it’s professionally important to the entire company.”

Eich, who took over the Web company last week, donated $1,000 to the 2008 legislative effort to ban same-sex marriage in California, known as Proposition 8.

“We are sad to think that any OkCupid page loads would even indirectly contribute towards the success of an individual who supported Prop 8  —and who for all we know would support it again,” OkCupid said.

News of Eich’s promotion led to a wave of online protests in recent days, including a number of Mozilla employees who have publicly asked for him to step down.

In response, Eich has said that his past political donations should not affect his work as CEO or Mozilla’s operations.

“I am committed to ensuring that Mozilla is, and will remain, a place that includes and supports everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, economic status, or religion,” he said in a recent blog post. 

He pledged to display “exemplary behavior … toward everyone in our community,” and asked for time to “show, not tell” his commitment to equal treatment at the office. 

A Mozilla spokesperson said the company “supports quality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples.”

OkCupid, the spokesperson added, never reached out “to let us know of their intentions not to confirm facts.”

— This post was updated at 9:54 a.m.