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New dating site hopes to change the scene for LGBT relationships

A new website has popped up in the scene of online dating and personals: G-Romance. This gay-owned and operated site is created for and by people seeking a same-sex mate, with a twist: it's not a hook-up site.
George Skaff, Michigan native and creator of G-Romance, grew up in Grosse Pointe and has a medical degree, an insurance license and his own wine import company, Laguna Spirits. But G-Romance is – forgive the pun – his passion. Launched in December of last year, Skaff's aggressive marketing yielded him 16,000 unique hits on the site within the first week and over 300,000 hits within three weeks.

"This website began as an answer to the constant commercials on TV about eHarmony," Skaff explains. "The fact that we in the gay community didn't have anything to rival it made me passionately upset, so I went on a mission to change that."
The only way an individual can meet a potential mate on G-Romance is by being matched by their profile to a 51-percent minimum. Shying away from typical "hook-up" goals advertised on sites like http://www.gay.com and http://www.manhunt.com, G-Romance matches people based on a number of sexual, psychological and personality characteristics, without being as lengthy as eHarmony or Match.com.
Photos are required, but are only shown to a person's matches. Videos are welcome, and contact is open – as long as the person trying to be reached accepts the invite to chat.
Two added features on the site are 'Queer Query' and an events page. QQ is an advice section where individuals are able to ask troubling, sexual or psychological questions to a licensed counselor. Rachel Crandall, who founded Transgender Michigan in 1997 and is a crisis counselor at Affirmations LGBT community center in Ferndale, is the featured counselor. The events page lists coming events, and individuals are encouraged to submit future happenings within their cities and states.
"Basically, anyone who is sincerely looking for a long-term relationship or has been trying to find love in all the wrong places should sign up," Skaff explains. "This is not a sex site, but is for people who are tired of not having a specific Internet site to access where they can feel comfortable searching for that special mate in a private and secure setting."
Subscriptions to G-Romance are $20 for a six-month trial. To learn more, visit http://www.g-romance.com.

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