OkCupid is asking its users to forgo using a Firefox browser as a form of protest against Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, whose support of an anti-gay marriage ballot measure in California is creating a good deal of controversy for the company.

On Monday, anyone who visited OkCupid on the browser made by Mozilla, Firefox, was greeted with a message that asks them to switch browsers. "Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples," the message reads. "We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid."

The page does allow users to continue onto the site using Firefox via a link at the bottom of the page — but strongly suggests alternative browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Opera.

Here's the OKCupid message in full:

Image: OkCupid

Eich, a Mozilla co-founder who was promoted from CTO to CEO last week, has taken heat in his first week on the job after it was reported that he made a $1,000 donation to support Proposition 8, a California ballot measure that successfully banned gay marriage in 2008.

Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by a Federal judge in 2010, a decision confirmed by the Supreme Court in 2013.

Eich responded to the backlash in a blog post last week, apologizing for "having caused pain," and asking employees to give him a chance. He committed, among other things, that Mozilla will remain "a place that includes and supports everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, race, ethnicity, economic status, or religion."

The statement, however, contained no mention of Proposition 8 — neither an explanation or an apology for his reasoning in supporting it in the first place. In a separate blog post from April 2012, Eich acknowledged the criticism he was receiving as a result of his Prop 8 donation, but didn't go further than that: "I’m not going to discuss Prop 8 here or on Twitter," he wrote. "There is no point in talking with the people who are baiting, ranting, and hurling four-letter abuse. Personal hatred conveyed through curse words is neither rational nor charitable, and strong feelings on any side of an issue do not justify it."

On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that three Mozilla board members stepped down following Eich's promotion, while multiple employees took to Twitter protesting his stance on gay marriage.

A Mozilla spokesperson shared this statement to Mashable when asked to comment on OkCupid: "Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally. OkCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts."

OkCupid did not respond to Mashable's request for comment.

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