Between mixed opinions from staffers, developer boycotts, and a tens-of-thousands-strong petition, the Mozilla Corporation's hire of Brendan Eich as CEO has already attracted its fair share of negative attention. On Monday, Mozilla faced its biggest opponent to the hire yet: OKCupid, one of the most popular online dating sites in the world.
When Firefox users attempt to visit OKCupid.com, either logged in or not, they now must pass through a one-time wall of text with a clear mandate: "Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OKCupid."
The site's request can be bypassed with a single click at the bottom of the page, which can be found beneath links to rival browsers and an essay that reads, in part, "If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly eight percent of the relationships we’ve worked so hard to bring about would be illegal." The post acknowledges that OKCupid rarely delves into the political realm before issuing a fiery, anti-Mozilla condemnation: "Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure."
Additionally, the page includes a brief recap of the Eich hiring story, including details about his $1,000 donation to California's anti-gay-marriage Proposition 8. That bit of history acknowledges a six-year gap between Eich's donation and today—though it doesn't note that Eich continued giving thousands to a pro-Prop 8 legislator until 2010—then the recap adds, "Mr. Eich’s boilerplate statements in the time since make it seem like he has the same views now as he did then."
When asked to comment, a Mozilla spokesperson offered this statement: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally. OKCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts."
Ars has continued to request an interview directly with Eich about the story, and we'll update if we are given the opportunity to do so.
reader comments
649