OkCupid: DC Metro rejected dating ad against ‘far right’ politics

Washington, D.C.’s Metro system rejected ads that opposed the “far right” and anticipated the 2020 election for lacking “neutrality,” the dating company OkCupid told The Hill.

OkCupid is rolling out a politically themed ad campaign in the nation’s capital this month. It began July 16 with a series of Metro and bike share ads and will continue with additional ads and bar coasters in a number of venues around D.C. later this summer.

The ad campaign, “DTF,” is designed by artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari. Cattelan’s golden toilet sculpture — titled “America” — is the one that the Guggenheim Museum in January offered for a “long-term loan” to President Trump instead of the White House’s Van Gogh loan request.

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But the District won’t be able to see all of the ads as planned by OkCupid.

Two ads that were rejected by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority were both a riff on the acronym “DTF,” including one that suggests “Down to Fantasize about 2020” and another that reads, “Down to Filter Out the Far Right.”

According to Metro, the ads show “strong opinion” toward a political person or group and do not have “neutrality,” a spokesperson for the ad campaign said.

“We are disappointed that the Washington Metro has rejected these specific ads from OkCupid’s ‘DTF’ campaign,” OkCupid’s Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Hobley told The Hill. “OkCupid has a huge presence in D.C. and at its core, the ad imagery reflects what OkCupid users are talking about when it comes to dating, and this campaign puts it all out in the open.”

Some of the ads on display in the District either currently or later this summer include “Down to Fall Head Over Heels” and “Down to Farmer’s Market.” Other ads rejected by Metro included “Down to Four-Twenty” and “Down to Football vs. Fútbol.”

OkCupid has made more overt political statements over the past few months. The app offers badges that demonstrate users’ affiliation with groups such as Planned Parenthood or the American Civil Liberties Union. The app also publicly banned the membership of a high-profile white supremacist last year.