Czech Him Out: Gay Matchmaking in the Mile High City

By Chris Arneson

You can’t find anyone worthwhile on Grindr within a few thousand feet, and you’ve maxed out your swipes on Tinder. Is it time to look a little farther?

Tatyana Svirsky, a sort of international date facilitator localized in Denver, thinks you should check out Czech men. Tatyana, originally from Eastern Ukraine, is very familiar with that part of the world.

Following the recent DMA repeal, her franchise business, Most Beautiful People of Denver, has begun to include gay connections. (Think of it as less mail-order husbandry, more foreign OKCupid.) The business is a part of Hand-In-Hand, a London- based matchmaking company.

According to a January 2011 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, Hand-In-Hand expanded into gay business in late 2009. This is the only matchmaking company that has locally based franchises, Tatyana said.

However, other markets across the U.S. have yet to expand to the gay market, fearing it may hurt their success in traditional business.

“In Denver, we have the best educated, open- minded gay community,” Tatyana explains. “This is good for the business.”

The service is fairly simple, starting with a free profile match at Gay-Man-Introductions.com. You provide your name and email address, and from there you build a detailed profile, including your personality traits along with what you’d prefer in a partner. Then you’re provided with matches, automatically generated for you by a computer. Before you’re connected, you must mutually match with other men.

If you’re interested in going further, that’s where Tatyana comes in. Membership packages include options from 15-13 dates. The catch is that you have to vacation to Prague, at your expense. There is also no email exchange permitted before meeting your suitors.

Tatyana said it’s very easy to connect with men in the Czech Republic because many of them speak English and are well-educated and not to mention attractive.

Introduction services start at around 1,600 (listed on the website in British pounds), which sets you up on a minimum of five dates. For this many dates, you must visit Prague for at least four days. While you provide your own accommodations, the company will assist in recommendations if needed.

“Prague is safe, beautiful, and modern,” she says. “It’s a hidden gem.”

Economically, however, it is still developing, so many of its citizens are very motivated to come to the United States.

“They’re motivated, but they’re not desperate,” she explains.

The Czech Republic has some of the lowest instances of HIV/AIDS in Central Europe, according to Tatyana.

Getting to America is no problem for Czech citizens either, which is part of the company’s sales pitch—visas are easy to acquire. Many other companies in the mail-order business operate out of countries like Russia and the Ukraine, where getting a visa can be difficult.

If the visit to Prague is successful and you plan to eventually marry, a green card can be acquired based on the proposal, Tatyana says. While the green card is being processed, a white card will authorize them to work.

Tatyana has yet to make any gay connections in Denver, but she hopes the idea of international gay dating will catch on in the Mile High City.