Subscribe to Breaking NewsWithers: Manhunt.net chairman resigns from board
, contributing editor, 365Gay Blog 08.16.2008 12:22am EDT
Sorry about posting this so late, but the chairman and co-founder of Manhunt.com, Jonathan Crutchley, has been forced to resign from the site’s board. Seems Crutchley’s maximum donation to John McCain’s campaign didn’t go down well with the company’s other founder Larry Basile.
“It should be known that Jonathan Crutchley’s donation to McCain left the entire Board in disbelief,” Basile said in an statement. “I am disappointed that we have lost some customers, and I understand the anger. It is too bad for the web site if we lose customers, but PLEASE never refer to me as a Republican. I consider it an offense.”
Is this enough for people who have been asking for a boycott of Manhunt?
Guys, this is just smoke. The guy will “step down” for awhile and then when we’ve forgotten about it, he’ll quietly step back up. It doesn’t mean anything. They are just trying to pretend they care about what we think.
I’d say continue with the boycott. Just get the hell out of that site. It’s just become a place for gay men to get lost, and dealers to have a whole population to prey on. No wonder HIV is going through the roof.
Denial of equal rights overrides First Amendment rights of free speech. Right and wrong absolutes are essential to the strength of our democracy when minorities are treated unfairly.
Big Deal! I am a gay republican and belong to Log Cabin Republicans. The site is about finding sex partners and that over rides any political agenda.
I understand that Mr. Crutchley is probably with the Republicans for their promise to reduce tax rates on interest income and capital gains. He’s probably too busy to try backing a more Libertarian candidate with similar financial credentials but a more liberal social agenda. Such a move would at least garner more support from his lgbt clients. And with his money, he could probably have an impact on a local or state election or two. He probably just wants to buy his way into an exclusive DC dinner at the White House with subsequent bragging rights at cocktail parties. But with all the whining about ManHunt.com, I’m surprised that no one is simply starting up alternative sites. You know, one that touts long term meaningful relationships and forgoes the dick shots. I mean Crutchley and friends are raking in $30M a year. I would think there would be a stampede, a gold rush of new alternative web sites: MyMarriageVows.com, GayMonogamy.org, etc. No Takers?
He did not use Manhunt funds, so what does the fact that he was a smart businessman who invested his time, money and energy into creating a service to the gay market have to do with who gets his – personal – funds?
If he tithes to a church you don’t approve of, should he be fired?
I don’t like McCain, I don’t intend to vote for him, donate my time or money to his campaign but I’m not going to penalize someone who does. If for no other reason than noone should be able to penalize me for who I support.
If it bothers you, donate matching funds to Obama’s campaign. If you don’t have the money donate your time. Put a campaign sticker on your car. Put a sign on your lawn.
Jeff in Fort Lauderdale is way off base. What Crutchley did is borderline unethical and the punishment fits the crime. If Steve Jobs went out and bought a Dell or HP then the board at Apple, and it’s loyal customer base, would throw a fit until he was gone. It’s betrayal at its worst.
First, I have always voted with my dollars whenever I had a choice. It is a wise man who knows where is money is being spent and how the people, to whom he gives it, spends theirs as well. I find it hard to believe that any LGBT person could be a Republican. LGBT and Bigotry must need be mutually exclusive. Those of you who donate to the evil right-wing intolerant power-hungry idiots deserve to have all your income and freedoms taken away. If they get in power, that will persecute you even if you are a donor. If they have a choice, they would have you killed right after they take all of your money, and laugh all the way to the bank and their churches. You might have the freedom to give to those really really bad people, but why in the name of all that is kind, loving, correct and good would you be so idiotic and blind that you want to criple yourselves? For some people, supporting intolerance and such evil is unthinkable, and certainly is indistinguisable from evil itself.
I consider that true democracy in America to be (like it or not) a double-edged sword so to speak. It cuts BOTH ways… meaning that people have the rights to their thoughts, ideas, opinions and to whom they donate their money, even it is someone odeous like Dr. James Dobson or some other enemy of our community or even to McCain, whose regime will very likely bring us 4 more awful antigay years.
However warped and misguided most of us gays find conservative activities and ideas, living in a true democracy means each side must put up with what it views as the destructive and contrary-to-common sense nonsense and rubbish put out by its opponents.
We don’t have to like Mr. Crutchley does with his time and money, but he has a right to free speech and freedom to associate with even the worst antigay tyrant if he chooses.
He has that right in our land.
Like they say, BUYER BEWARE, you can stop having buyer’s remorse by simply patronizing another website and altering your buyng habits as you find the company you deal with personally distasteful.
You the buyer has the right to switch websites same as he has the right to do whatever he does with his money (which it is as soon as you pay him for a service in this case for you to be on Manhunt)
as long as he obeys the laws of our land, he has his right to his own ideas, speech and freedom of association with whomever he chooses. Sorry, within a true democracy, no one side of any issue gets to have its preferred way all the time.
Absolutely disgusting that a guy is forced out over this. As someone who is both proudly homosexual AND republican, I’m getting a bit tired of the way some of my fellow “brothers and sisters” treat politics. I don’t really like the guy that much, but I’ll be sending a donation to McCain as a way of protesting this absurd protest.
I think it’s ridiculous that a person would be forced to resign from their job for doing with their own personal money what they want to do with it. Mr. Crutchley should be allowed to spend his personal money on whatever candidate he sees fit. To force him to resign for this reason is utterly ridiculous.
I’ve never given to a presidential campaign in my life, but I certainly will be giving a donation to the McCain campaign today in protest of you idiots who feel as if a person should be punished for doing what is perfectly legal and ethical. Shame on you.
And if I didn’t have such good luck with getting a hook-up on manhunt, I’d drop my subscription as well. LOL!
Jeff
As long as he is making money from gay people, directly or indirectly – No, this isn’t enough.
When the hell will my Gay brothers and sisters wake the fuck up!
Enough already with the blabber about ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘open minds’ crap!
Manhunt, the Log Cabiners, of course one can choose to associate freely, but good gods WHY?
I do not advocate a ’stalinist’ style “Gay Agenda”, but come on boys and girls, our very lives are at stake. Giving your time and money to those who would see us dead is the definition of stupidity.
I ask each person to think before opening your wallet. Please. I will beg.
I beg all to just stop for a second and consider an alternative; consider that every single action you take will have consequences. You do not exist in a vacuum – when you choose (freely) to support the hate-mongers then you do a disservice to yourself and the rest of us.
Now don’t get me wrong – I fully understand that nothing is cut and dry or black and white. We all make choices every day, and yes, sometimes even I shop at Wal-Mart, even though I know the company has awful corporate policies. So there, I am not a hypocrite, I just ask my fellow Gay men and women to think, then choose.
For those of you on the sidelines of the Presidential election – get off the damn fence! McCain is an evil bastard who worships the neo-cons. What more proof do you need? He has stated dozens of times that he is opposed to Gay rights, and will appoint Supreme Court judges like the fascist Alito.
Get real, folks, stop sending your dollars to feed this evil beast.
Freedom of speech is welcomed most definately, but keep in mind that we will not put our money into companies who directly feed the beast. And THAT is our freedom of speech with our pocket books. I do find it amazing that this man bit the hand that fed him.
No, it isn’t. Crutchley is still receiving the money from members to continue his conservative activities, but now he can devote full time to those activities. As long as he is a part of the company in any way the Gay community must continue to protest this exploitation. While Manhunt itself did nothing wrong, the owner was very far off being politically correct and unfortunately having him step down as CEO has changed nothing. The gay market needs to speak loud and clear that we won’t accept our $$$’s being used this way and we should keep the pressure on Manhunt until he is no longer a part of the income stream in any way. After all if it hadn’t been for us liberal ‘insults’ the right to create a Manhunt.net would have never existed. Strike a blow for liberty, keep the pressure up!
We demand that the right open up their minds and think more freely. Then condemn someone in our arena for doing that very thing. It is sad that freedom of speech (or thought for that matter) is disallowed even in our supposedly “forward thinking” ranks.