Politics once had no place at the dinner table, but now it has its sights set on the bedroom.
DemDates.com, a singles’ Web site for the “young, sexy and liberal,” is gearing up to take Boston by storm on the coattails of the Democratic National Convention. The Web site will be hosting a launch party at Peking Tom’s on Kingston Street on July 29, the final day of the DNC.
Rebecca Brezel, a senior journalism major, has been working closely with DemDates.com, using the experience as an internship. After finding the job posted on Craigslist (www.boston.craigslist.com), Brezel now works to plan upcoming events for the Web site.
In addition to the launch party, other events Brezel is promoting include parties at The Rack in Faneuil Hall on July 26 from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., and July 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
According to press releases, DemDates promises to bring the romance back into politics by connecting the “best, brightest and most beautiful men and women this side of the middle” for both romantic and professional relationships.
Currently, the Web site has about 120 members, mostly concentrated in the Los Angeles and Boston areas, said DemDates president and founder C.J. Frogozo. After the DNC, she expects that number to rise upwards of 1,500 and to reach areas including San Francisco, New York and Chic-ago.
As the popularity of online dating sites continues to rise, DemDates strives to offer a little more than the normal Internet matchmaker.
Some of the characteristics of the site that set it apart from the typical dating service are noticeable in the members’ profiles. Questions such as “Bill or Hillary?” “Monica Lewinsky or Gennifer Flowers?” and “JFK or JFK, Jr.?” all appear as well as some multiple choice questions such as “Socially I am like: Bush twins, Bobby Kennedy, Chelsea Clinton or Al Gore,” all designed to enhance users’ profiles with a Democratic twist.
However, DemDates is not the first Web site to put a political slant on dating. SingleRepublican.com was started in 1999 and offers a similar service as DemDates, but from the opposite end of the political spectrum.
There are several noticeable differences between the two. DemDates is targeted to a primarily younger audience, offering questions pertaining to tattoos and piercings, as well as a “creatively dyed” hair color choice. But the differences go beyond just appearance and reflect the political agendas behind each site. SingleRepublican.com, for example, does not have a field in which to specify sexual orientation.
“It’s interesting to see the way dating services are shaping out,” said Heidi Buchanan, president of the College Democrats. “They’re getting more specific, like the Facebook, which focuses on specific college campuses.”
Buchanan met her current boyfriend, a Republican in the Navy, on the Internet through the online blogging tool, Livejour-nal.
However, if she ever decides to date within her own party, now she has a new option to meet desirable Dems.
