To bee or not to bee?
That was the question.
You may or may not know that Weddingbee was recently sold to eHarmony. eHarmony’s founder Neil Clark Warren has had connections to Focus on the Family in the past. Focus on the Family gave him and eHarmony a fair amount of publicity in the early days of eHarmony and also helped to publish his early books. Their CEO Gregory Waldorf gave at least $2,300 to John McCain. The other employees of eHarmony donated to democratic campaigns and I can only assume progressive causes.
How do I know all this? I’m a fantastic online stalker, that’s how. If you’d like to get real creepy, check out Huffington Post’s fundrace. Under “employer” type in both eharmony and then eharmony.com and you’ll see a list of everyone who gave more than $200 at one time. You may be surprised to see that most of the employees actually gave to democrats.
I’m proud to be a part of Weddingbee because of the fantastic and supportive community there. Within the hive there are so many brides with different perspectives, styles, sexual orientations, lifestyles, political opinions, etc. I enjoy being a part of a community that allows ideas to flourish and is constantly changing with reader feedback. Every time I’ve had a wedding dilemma I’ve turned to the boards which have been a constant source of inspiration and support.
In making the decision to apply I thought back to the time when I was working for the US Fish and Wildlife service. In my interview, they asked me if I could handle “not bashing” the President at work. I could go to rallies and protests in my spare time, just not as a USFWS representative. I took the job because even though I disagree with President Bush, I believe in the mission of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the people who work for the conservation of our natural heritage. Just as I believe in Weddingbee and the individuals who are retaining editorial power over the site.
I want others who are going through the immigration process to feel less alone. I want them to know that. It’s important to me because it’s such a stressful process, and Weddingbee will help reach more women and men than if I were just here, alone, all by myself in this corner of the internet. I also want to find other who are going through this process, to know that I’m not alone either.
For those reasons I have chosen to apply to Weddingbee and thus eHarmony. I’ve canvassed my butt off for the Human Rights Campaign, raised thousands of dollars and gained HRC hundreds of members as well. I would never tell an individual who they could or could not donate to and I’m proud that I’ve been able to help individuals contribute to HRC. Money may end up in the pocket of eHarmony’s CEO, and he may give that to things I don’t believe in. Paychecks also go to his employees, some who may or may not support the same things that I do. Everyday, I end up making purchasing decisions that contribute to causes I don’t support. I’ve been working hard at getting out of mainstream purchasing paths, but some things have been harder to break than others.
I have applied to blog for Weddingbee. I did not come to this decision lightly and I want you all to know that.
Also, fundrace is deliciously awesome, so check it out!
