30,000 anti-Trump Americans sign up for dating site that pairs them with Canadians
Since Maple Match first popped up back in May, more than 30,000 Americans have signed up for the dating site that promises to pair them with Canadian suitors.
This is in addition to the 10,000 Canadians – 1,000 of whom are from BC – who have selflessly volunteered to date Americans who may want to escape their country in the event of a Donald Trump presidency.
“I’m really humbled to have so many people interested in my service,” Maple Match founder Joe Goldman tells Daily Hive. “The amount of people who have signed up for Maple Match is larger than the town that I grew up in.”
Still, the idea of cross-border dating has raised some eyebrows. Some say a dating service that matches Americans with Canadians isn’t unlike mail order bride services, but Goldman says that’s not the case. He says they simply provide an opportunity to meet people from different parts of the continent.
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“The United States and Canada have far more in common than their differences, no matter if you’re from Nunavut or from Texas,” he says. “They’re both countries that espouse freedom of speech, freedom of the press, democracy, and the ability to pursue one’s happiness.”
While the premise of the website is to help Americans escape the “unfathomable horror of a Trump presidency,” Goldman says he’s had Canadian Trump fans sign up hoping to make a move down to the States, as well as Americans who can’t fathom a Trump or Clinton presidency.
“We experienced a five-fold increase in traffic during both the [Republican National Convention] and the [Democratic National Convention] on Maple Match,” he says. “We haven’t really changed our messaging much, but people have been emailing me saying ‘I really want Bernie and I’m not so sure if I should stay in the country.'”
“People are really concerned about the political situation in the United States and Maple Match for some people is that opportunity to find something better.”
It’s not all negative, however. Goldman adds that many people who sign up for Maple Match aren’t necessarily trying to escape the political climate of the United States; Canada just appeals to them.
“Canada’s values are the right values in a place that they’re looking to live, regardless of how things are going in the US,” he says.
Maple Match has yet to officially launch, but users can still sign up, and Goldman says they now offer a “concierge” service that involves real, human match makers.