It’s like the Bear411 debacle all over again.
On its website recently, Out magazine published an article whose headline asked, “Has Manhunt Destroyed Gay Culture?” The article describes Jonathan Crutchley, one of Manhunt’s founders, as a “liberal Republican,” a title he finds insulting.
For the benefit of those of you who don’t know, Manhunt is a gay hook-up site. A quick glance at the site’s homepage, adorned with aesthetically pleasing men in various states of undress, could probably tell you that, though.
So anyway, one link leads to another and someone dug up info that Crutchley made a sizable contribution to John McCain’s presidential campaign. To the tune of $2,300. As in the maximum donation allowed by law.
Please humor me while I channel George Will. I thank you in advance for this.
“Well.”
It’s not that I have a problem, per se, that Crutchley donated money to the candidate of his choice. After all, every American is entitled to do so within the letter of the law, at least per my understanding.
Rather, what I see here is a conflict of interest. Here we have a website that is popular among gay men, whether they admit it or not. To access features of convenience — among others, the abilities to block members, perform an advanced search, or access the mobile version — one must pay a fee at regular intervals: weekly, monthly, or quarterly. A portion of the money collected was apparently diverted to fund the campaign of someone who would do more harm to the LGBT community at large than his opponent. As a result, Manhunt’s patrons — the left-leaning ones, at least — are played for fools.
Now that all this has come to light, people are calling for a boycott, encouraging people to drop their accounts, etc., in the hopes that it will hit Crutchley where it hurts — the purse.
We’ve seen this before; we know the outcome. Like Bear411 before it, Manhunt will continue to thrive whether we like it or not. After all, you don’t have to watch Titanic to know the boat sinks in the end — unless you visit Bizarro World.
Regardless, those of us who feel strongly enough to do so should go ahead and delete our accounts. (Yes, this includes me.) He may have the right to donate to McCain’s campaign, but we also have the right to refuse to help his endeavors.
It’s just as well. The return on my monthly $12 investment is poor at best. I’d rather spend it on beer at a crowded bar. At least then I’d stand a better chance at getting felt up.
I’ve checked out Manhunt from time to time, but it never rubbed me the right way. Its not very bear friendly, and it seems like mostly closeted guys in their 20’s, looking for same. Hmmm, closeted insecure guys, yep sounds like a republican hookup site to me.
Ok… So I heard this today from a friend. As a paying member of ManHunt for years, I decided to confront them in an email and see if I could get them to confirm it. I got a very terse response from the ManHunt team telling me that it was a personal matter and that it didn’t reflect on ManHunt itself. I responded by telling them that their answer was a bit terrifying and disconcerting and the next thing I knew, my account had been deleted. Sounds a LOT like Nazi Germany to me! But then again, it’s saving me the time of deleting my account anyway. DELETE your ManHunt accounts NOW!!! Let them know that our community will NOT tollerate them using our money to support biggotry, abuse of civil rights and hatred!
Yeah, I’m thinking I can definitely put that money to better use. Hunters and Gatherers already brings me the best of the best tragic profiles anyway!
@Scott: Ok now it’s starting to sound like the Bear411 debacle. *ugh!
I read the editorial in “Out” magazine about Manhunt’s effect on gay culture, and honestly felt it was very sensationalized. I have never used Manhunt, but I have used sites like Bear411, BiggerCity, BearCiti, etc., which have online profiles and the ability to chat and meet new people (for sex or otherwise). Manhunt may be one of the largest and most successful “hookup” sites, but blaming them strikes me a little like blaming gun manufacturers for the deaths caused by guns.
In regards to the owner of the site making a political contribution, that is his right as an American citizen. It is also your right as a U.S. Citizen (if applicable) to not pay for a Manhunt membership if you choose because of an owner’s contribution to a campaign you do not support. The CEO of Best Buy, Bradbury Anderson, also donated $2,300 to McCain’s campaign. Are you going to stop shopping at Best Buy because of this?
@Bobo: Sensationalized or not, I think the article — what I read of it, at least — makes a point. Online cruising is a crutch, sometimes a vice.
“In regards to the owner of the site making a political contribution, that is his right as an American citizen. It is also your right as a U.S. Citizen … to not pay for a Manhunt membership if you choose because of an owner’s contribution to a campaign you do not support.”
I made both points in this post, thanks for agreeing.
“The CEO of Best Buy, Bradbury Anderson, also donated $2,300 to McCain’s campaign. Are you going to stop shopping at Best Buy because of this?”
Now that I’m aware of and verified this I may very well stop patronizing Best Buy, but I don’t shop there very often to begin with.
One also has to consider other factors. For instance, the specific candidates a person donates to. It’s difficult though not impossible to find Republican politicos who are actually supportive of the LGBT community to some degree. (Connie Morella and even Rudy Giuliani come to mind. [Anderson contributed to his campaign as well.])
Then there’s the kind of company he runs, which as of today has a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index. Nearly every employee benefit offered to legally wed couples are also offered to same-sex couples.
In Best Buy’s case, I’ll need to do some more research before coming to a decision on my patronage one way or the other.
I read the entire editorial from “Out” magazine about Manhunt, and it seemed to me like he was trying to say more than “online cruising is a crutch.” He certainly made that point, but I personally feel his point is lost when one compares the time spent on Manhunt to the time spent on another addictive online behavior, such as “World of Warcraft.” Both have support groups that have formed to help those recovering from said activity’s impact on their life. Both can create an alternate persona and allow someone to possibly feel better about themselves as a person based on their “success rate.” (I am in no way condemning users of either service or the activities in which they engage. I will disclose that I have never used Manhunt, but I have played “World of Warcraft.”) To me a lot of this gets back to the age-old advice of “everything in moderation.”
The article also seemed to be a nostalgic look at the gay community and how it has changed and how it is no longer this way or that. The author almost says that we should all hang out in bars to hook up rather than hook up online because the old way is better for our self-esteem. Huh? Personally I would be far less hurt if an online contact shunned me after talking or meeting than if I had attempted to hook up with them in a bar and gotten politely (or impolitely) brushed off in public.
Your own analysis of Best Buy as a company is interesting to me. You say they rate at the top on the “Corporate Equality Index,” and yet you would judge the corporation on the personal political beliefs of the man who is employed as the CEO. If I was a vegetarian, should I judge Apple as a company because Steve Jobs has a steak for dinner regardless of all the good the company may have done to protect wildlife refuges?
@Bobo: “…yet you would judge the corporation on the personal political beliefs of the man who is employed as the CEO. ”
Not necessarily. As I said, there are multiple factors to consider. It all boils down to taking the info that’s available to me and deciding what would be in my and/or my community’s (neighborhood, minority, whatever) best interest.
That said, I concede that it’s not always possible or even practical to outright abolish a company — manufacturer, retailer, etc. — from one’s consumerist habits 100%. Sometimes, you have to buy that product you need from a company you don’t like because an alternative company you do like isn’t available.
“If I was a vegetarian, should I judge Apple as a company because Steve Jobs has a steak for dinner regardless of all the good the company may have done to protect wildlife refuges?”
That’s your call to make. I can argue my opinion until the cows come home (no pun intended), but I can’t force you to adopt my way of thinking. My rights end where your rights begin and vice versa.
I appreciate your opinions and your commentary on this topic. I have found it very interesting. As someone who met my (future) partner online through a personal profile site in 1996, I guess I felt very strongly about the editorial and some of the things the author tried to say. Regarding the political contribution, it’s always been interesting to me to see the possible ramifications of such things and how it all plays out. In some ways it just entrenches my feelings of needing to shy away from politics in general. LOL. Hugs, Bobo
I am totally outraged and disgusted by all this Manhunt & Rebuplican scandal. I am moving my profile to a new site I found called WetLizard.com It’s free and very well laid out. I like it much better than Manhunt and the staff are really nice and friendly and reply to you MUCH quicker than Manhunt. I recommend everyone on Manhunt goes here.
* Editor’s Note: This comment was originally moderated as a potential spam comment. I normally would not approve such a comment, but in its context I gave it the benefit of the doubt.
BestBuy is NOT a gay Company, ManHunt.net is. So you can not compare the president of BestBuy making a donation, its not the same.
Eh, after rejoining Manhunt in the past week (before this all broke), I’m remembering why I left in the first place. It’s funny to go through the profiles after a year and a half and see that many people are still there, and they’re still using the same picture.
I’m going to just let the month I paid for run out and then kill the account, I’m not getting a return on my investment either.
I like your idea using the money for beer at the bar, I can think of a few people I wouldn’t mind feeling up
@Bobo: AH! I hadn’t realized that about you guys. Taking that info puts your earlier comments in a different light.
@Me: Point taken, but speaking solely in terms of who gets donations from their respective CEOs, I think it is fair to compare them.
@Michael: See you at happy hour?
Well in the face of all this, due to pressure from the board, Crutchley has stepped down as Chairman from the company.
When’s happy hour?
@Brian: Fo’ realz?!
Well, this is an interesting development.
And BTW, that Hunters and Gatherers link is effin’ brilliant! So not right… and yet so completely right.
@Fredo Sure
I agree 100% with you… Some people’s choices just baffle me completely. I just went and deleted my account- well, I meant to do it already since I have a BF now but, NOW it’s deleted.
There is no possible way to support the GOP without promoting discrimination and violence against queers. All Republicans share in personal responsibility for all homophobic hate crimes.
There is nothing wrong with holding these violent bigots accountable for their actions. I’ve deleted my HomophobicHunt profile, and I encourage others to do the same.