The eHarmony advert with the same-sex couple eating toast
One Million Moms claims eHarmony ad shows “unnatural love” (Photo: YouTube)

One Million Moms, the US-based, right-wing, supposedly Christian group have found their latest target. The organization, an offshoot of the American Family Association, routinely takes aim at brands that include LGBTQ representation in their marketing. This time, an innocuous advert for the dating site eHarmony has prompted another One Million Moms petition.

The advert was produced for Australia as part of eHarmony’s “Here for Real Love” campaign. It features a man relaxing at home, while his boyfriend makes toast in their kitchen area.

“Real love is enjoying my own space,” says the man in a narrated voiceover. “And wanting to share it with him,” he continues, as the scene cuts to his boyfriend spreading some peanut butter on toast. He then feeds the toast to his boyfriend, they hug, and he wipes a crumb away from the narrator’s mouth.

One Million Moms was disgusted.

“The online dating site eHarmony.com is advertising its services with a new gay pride commercial featuring the company’s continued theme, ‘Here for Real Love’,” it wrote on its website.

“It’s the site’s attempt to normalize and glorify the LGBTQ lifestyle by featuring a homosexual couple hugging, feeding each other, and wiping the other one’s mouth.

“By promoting same-sex relationships, eHarmony wants to make it clear where they stand on this controversial topic instead of remaining neutral in the culture war.”

“There is concern about the way this advertisement is pushing the LGBTQ agenda, but an even greater concern is that the commercial is airing when children are likely watching television.”

“This eHarmony ad brainwashes children and adults by desensitizing them and convincing them that homosexuality is natural, when in reality it is an unnatural love that is forbidden by Scripture just like love rooted in adultery is forbidden.”

Related: One Million Moms are up in arms over this “perverted” advert for mattresses

Why One Million Moms is so concerned about a campaign in Australia is not clear. However, LGBTQ campaigners were unimpressed. Barbara Simon of GLAAD’ Australia’s Star Observer, “eHarmony’s work to welcome LGBTQ users and create safe spaces for them is vital. One Million Moms has nowhere near one million supporters, rather the organization is a fringe anti-LGBTQ group which generates false outrage to try and force companies to omit LGBTQ people from ads and content. Their anti-LGBTQ activism fails time and again as brands refuse to cave to their anti-LGBTQ hate.”

eHarmony launched in 2000 and was, for many tears, aimed wholly at heterosexual or mixed-sex couples. It began to matchmake for same-sex couples in 2019. This is the second advert the company has made featuring a same-sex couple.

Related: Grindr disappears from app stores in China

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