It is my job to express an opinion. I think it’s great to be opinionated, to have likes and dislikes.

I often ask for one too. I get friends and colleagues to critique this column. It’s mostly good, but recently I have got some flak for the ‘date me, I’m single’ undertones in my articles.

Of course I disagree, but we are all entitled to our opinions!

Anyway...I used to (and continue to) use dating websites (did I mention I’m single?). Recently I persuaded of friend of mine to give it a try. We often jest together about the oddities of internet dating. But recently he brought something to my attention that was not mirth inducing: the topic of minority.

You are probably familiar with the matching questionnaires on these sites but would you expect to see this question: ‘Do you only want to date people exclusively within your ethnicity?’ When my friend asked my opinion I flew off the handle. Then it dawned on me: what other questions are they asking? Is disability a minority that could be filtered against?

In my profile I choose not to show or mention my disability, as I feel it’s not a defining feature of me. If the chat is good and a date is looming then of course I tell the person that I am a wheelchair user and we deal with the reaction – good, bad or indifferent.

At this stage the other person has determined aspects of my character that my disability has no bearing on. Yes, dating someone with a disability comes with challenges but let’s be honest very few people are challenge free.

I imagine having a disability is not a desirable trait to look for in a partner. I would also like to think that the question ‘would you prefer not to date someone with a disability?’ won’t be cropping up on the list of questions either. Yet this ethnicity question left me feeling vulnerable as a member of an entirely different minority.

To be honest, I can understand that people have preferences. I am one of them and I am happy to tell people they are not my type. But these should be hashed out in conversations, not by an algorithm.

I guess being judged on your appearance is normal, but being excluded from being judged is a whole other story.

Oh, did I mention, I’m single? (and I have really big biceps).