OkCupid Responds to Rant Against Its New Ad Campaign

Woman Tearing Down OkCupid Ad

Image: Twitter

Dating app OkCupid has responded to a viral video showing a woman tearing down posters of its new LGBTQ+ ad campaign “Every Single Person” from a subway train in New York. Two other passengers joined her in the effort, and one filmed and posted the rant.

The notably unmasked woman was reacting to the campaign’s bold images, featuring queer people, pansexuality, and people who identify as non-binary. As she tore down the signs, she claimed to be concerned about children seeing the images, saying that the ads were “affecting the next generation” and calling them “propaganda.”

She also called the images “disgusting” and said that it’s “not about equality, you guys…it’s about communism” with no additional context.

OkCupid CEO Melissa Hobley tweeted shortly after the video went viral, writing: “In light of the recent homophobic rant sparked by our ad campaign celebrating all kinds of people and all kinds of LOVE, @okcupid is making an even bigger commitment to be inclusive. So thanks for the craziness.”

She went on to tweet: “Also, put on a mask. You owe the @MTA $50,” referring to New York Transit Authority’s fine for riding the subway without donning a mask.

The company later released an official statement to condemn the woman’s behavior: “At OkCupid we celebrate love for every single person, regardless of identity, ethnicity, race, orientation, or gender. Many have reached out to us with heartfelt reactions to our ‘Every Single Person’ campaign, sharing the joy of seeing their true selves represented in advertising. A much smaller few have had shockingly vitriolic reactions to it; but these reactions only serve to make it even more clear that we must continue to champion ALL people. Whether you’re a non-binary person, an environmentalist, a vaccine advocate, or all of the above, you deserve to find what you’re looking for on OkCupid.”

Hobley said in an interview with The Advocate that she was disappointed and surprised by the reaction of the people in the video. OkCupid relies on user data to gain insight as to what daters on the platform are looking for. She noted that in one year the company saw an 84 percent increase in users who identify as pansexual, and over the summer, a nearly 20 percent increase of users who identify as non-binary.

She also noted that the people in the ads weren’t models, but real people in the LGBTQ+ community. “It's actually just doubled down our commitment to inclusivity and diversity,” she told The Advocate, “and it tells us that actually, it's even more important to show all kinds of people and all kinds of love.”