Sanctity Of Marriage, Vol. XLIII

Hey, did you know there's a dating website with over 3 million members that's just for heterosexuals looking to redefine the definition of marriage? AshleyMadison.com's slogan: "Life is short. Have an affair." The company tried to run an ad during the Super Bowl, but were turned down by NBC and the NFL. However a local station in Texas (which is apparently a seething sweaty hotbed of infidelity) was happy to run the commercial, which was not received very well by some.

Football fans are used to outrageous ads on Super Bowl Sunday, but a 30-second pitch for adultery had Monday-morning quarterbacks buzzing. “Infidelity is a form of betrayal, and the idea of portraying betrayal as an answer to relationship problems is mind-boggling,” said family therapist Tim Louis in Houston. He was referring to the $250,000 spot for AshleyMadison.com, an online dating service for married folk. The ad, deemed inappropriate by NFL and NBC officials, ran only in Texas. It showed a couple celebrating their anniversary at a white tablecloth restaurant. The man blew his nose, answered his cell phone, then stood up to leave in the middle of dessert. “Happy anniversary, honey,” he said on his way out. Then came the voice-over, speaking to women: “Isn’t it time for AshleyMadison.com?”

Louis was emphatic that the answer is no. “The reality is many people do have affairs, but they only create additional problems between husbands and wives,” he said. “There’s nothing like a big old secret — and guilt and fear — that further isolates you from your partner.” AshleyMadison.com CEO Noel Biderman said he started the service in 2001, after reading that 30 percent of the people signing up for singles dating services were actually married. “I thought, wouldn’t it be better to be honest about your status?” he said. “About 3.3 million members and tens of millions of dollars later, I think I was right.” Today, the Toronto-based company is focusing on Texas because Houston, Dallas and San Antonio represent its fastest-growing markets. “We’ve had close to a quarter-million members join in the past few months,” Biderman said.

Gay activists should email a link to AshleyMadison.com to every wingnut that uses the expression "sanctity of marriage". If they want to use every bizarre little instance of a gay person acting badly against us, let's throw THREE MILLION CHEATERS in their face.


(Tipped by JMG reader Richard)