OkCupid Bans White Supremacist, Says 'No Room For Hate' On Site
OkCupid has zero tolerance for white supremacists and just kicked one off its site. Permanently.
A profile belonging to white nationalist leader Christopher Cantwell, most recently featured in a Vice News documentary about the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, last weekend, was discovered on the dating site. After OkCupid’s support team was alerted, it immediately banned him.
“We were alerted by another dater on OkCupid who had been contacted by Cantwell recently,” Melissa Hobley, a spokeswoman for the site, told HuffPost. “We wasted no time ― we quickly verified that it was indeed him and shut down his account.”
The site also tweeted that it “banned him for life” on Thursday afternoon, and that it has “no room for hate in a place where you’re looking for love.”
We were alerted that white supremacist Chris Cantwell was on OkCupid. Within 10 minutes we banned him for life.
— OkCupid (@okcupid) August 17, 2017
There is no room for hate in a place where you're looking for love.
— OkCupid (@okcupid) August 17, 2017
The site added that if any members come across “people involved in hate groups,” they can report it to the support team.
If any OkCupid members come across people involved in hate groups, please report it immediately https://t.co/K6PTo8Rtlr
— OkCupid (@okcupid) August 17, 2017
YES, OKCUPID. YES.
“The response from the community has been amazing,” said Hobley. And she wasn’t kidding. Twitter was abuzz with supporters of the ban:
"There is no room for hate when you're looking for love." OkCupid gets a gold star for the day https://t.co/ifMcWEmYcX
— klarize medenilla (@klarize) August 17, 2017
ok cupid you win this round https://t.co/UwbtqHvHMm
— i'm camille! (@_girltype) August 17, 2017
Thank you, and keep up the good work.
— Resistor (@liberalinsf) August 17, 2017
Single women all over the world thank you!!!
— Cassandra (@CassJSpring) August 17, 2017
OkCupid is outdoing you, @Jack https://t.co/cZAGaqBmSn
— #BlackAugust (@BlackAutonomist) August 17, 2017
You're pretty okay, cupid.
— Tony Golightly (@Moltari) August 17, 2017
Hobley said OkCupid has banned others from the site, though she did not specify the reasons in the other case. She also said the site made a concerted decision to disclose its banning of Cantwell.
“We were public about shutting down Cantwell because we believe we have a responsibility to take a stand and set the tone,” she said. “Especially as a place where we help connect people, we have to care about who you are and your role in the community.”
We couldn’t agree more. And we hope we’re not being too forward, OkCupid, but: We love you.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.