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Gay News: Apple has removed an app from their iTunes store which promises to "cure" gay men and women of their homosexuality.
Apple has yet to comment
Apple pulls anti-gay app
The application was created by Exodus International, a Christian group which describes itself as a “worldwide network of men and women who have found freedom from homosexuality”.
On its website it claims that homosexuality is “a multi-causal, developmental issue and that any individual can experience freedom through the support of caring individuals and the healing power of Jesus Christ”.
The app for the iPhone and the iPad was released on 15 February and was awarded four stars by Apple, indicating that it contained no objectionable content.
However, following a worldwide petition of over 140,000 signatures protesting the application, it has now been withdrawn from the Apple iTunes store.
In a letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, petition organisers Change.org wrote:
“Apple would never allow a racist or anti-Semitic app to be sold in the iTunes store, and for good reason. Apple’s approval of the anti-gay Exodus International app represents a double standard for the LGBT community with potentially devastating consequences for our youth. This is unacceptable, and I urge you to take a strong stance against homophobia by removing this dangerous “ex-gay” iPhone app from the store.”
Apple has not yet made a public statement on the removal of the app. Until it does, organizers are urging people to continue to sign the petition.
This is not the first time that Apple has been criticised for selling anti-gay apps. In November the company removed an application condemning same-sex marriage after protests by gay activists.
The company does, however, have a good record on gay rights. It opposed California’s Proposition 8 which states that marriage can only be between a man and a woman, and has a 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.
