New year, same old outrage.
One Million Moms has wasted no time getting all twisted up in knots over a dating ad that dared to feature a queer couple doing—gasp—laundry.
The 30-second spot, part of eHarmony’s “Get Who Gets You” campaign, launched late last year. It shows a couple cuddled up together on the couch, watching TV, until the buzzer goes off letting them know the laundry is done. One goes to retrieve it while the other makes a dash for the bedroom, waiting for their partner to topple the warm laundry over them.
As you can tell, it’s extremely scandalous—or at least, that’s what One Million Moms would have people believe. Because of course anything suggesting queer people exist, are happy, and live completely normal lives just like heterosexual couples is propaganda attempting to “brainwash children.”
And yes, that’s literally what their complaint says.
It’s an exhaustingly familiar tune from the religious right, who have been hyper-focused in the last several years on the imaginary idea that LGBTQ+ people are out to harm children. Never mind that an ad for a subscription dating site that is only open to people 18 years of age and older is unequivocally not aimed at children. After all, it airs “on various channels that families often watch.” Ergo, the homosexuals are targeting your kids!
Erm…right?
This is not the first time eHarmony has come under fire for LGBTQ-inclusive ads, with a commercial featuring a lesbian couple drawing conservative ire back in 2021 as well. It's likely this is all at least partly due to the fact that eHarmony was once notorious for excluding people looking for same-sex matches, although they partnered with GLAAD just last year to address the site’s shortcomings in terms of inclusivity.
Of course, it’s not coincidence that the rise of LGBTQ+ acceptance, particularly among younger generations, continues to be met with desperate campaigns of hatred from those who wish to send us back into the closets. But y’all can just keep embarrassing yourselves. We have laundry to do.
