Manhunt's chairman and co-founder Jonathan Crutchley stepped down from his position following uproar over his support for Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain.
Earlier last week, news broke that Crutchley, one of the founders of the nation's largest gay sex site, contributed $2,300 to McCain, the highest amount an individual can contribute. Several users of the gay hookup site cancelled their subscriptions out of anger, causing the company to take action.
News of Crutchley's political donations was first reported by Huffington Post a while back, but his political affiliation was recently pointed out in an OUT magazine article about Manhunt, which sparked further discussion on the topic. On Aug. 10, Crutchley defended his support of McCain in the comments section of an older online post about his donations, which appeared on the Huffington Post.
'I believe McCain will be a better commander-in-chief than Obama, who also opposes gay marriage,' Crutchley wrote. 'If we have an experienced, season person defending the country in this dangerous age, we will be able to argue about the gay agenda later.'
Towleroad reported that soon after the news broke, Crutchley was pressured by Manhunt's board to step down from his post. Some Manhunt customers threatened to boycott the Web site or closed their accounts.
According to a statement sent to blogger Andy Towle ( Towleroad.com ) by co-founder Larry Basile, Crutchley's donation to McCain 'left the entire board in disbelief.' Basile said that he was saddened that Manhunt lost some customers, but understood why they left. Basile and the board were upset that Manhunt was being depicted as Republican because of Crutchley's donation.
Basile later told the Boston Herald that Crutchley's donation was politically 'off-base,' and that he was 'embarrassed' when he found out.
'Earlier today, at the request of the Board, Jonathan has stepped down as Chairman,' Basile wrote in a statement to Towle.
According to the Boston Herald, Crutchley's donation raised some Republican eyebrows, as well, and supposedly his donation to McCain will be returned. Basile told the publication that Crutchley told the board he will now commit himself to the Obama campaign.
—Amy Wooten
