Apple had an iPhone application "to cure gays"

[White Eagle]

A few weeks ago I received an email requesting me to sign a petition because Apple had an iPhone application lauched by Exodus International that claimed to help "cure" gay and lesbian people. Well I signed it and I received this email today.

Amazing! After more than 150,000 petition signatures from Change.org members and saturation media coverage, news outlets worldwide are reporting that Apple has pulled an iPhone application launched by Exodus International that claimed to help "cure" gay and lesbian people.

This is a huge, public victory against the dangerous myth that gay young people can and should be "turned straight" -- a falsehood that contributes to the plague of depression and suicide afflicting these kids and young adults. Our friends at Truth Wins Out, the organization that started the petition on Change.org, are absolutely thrilled.

Apple did the right thing because an incredible 151,125 Change.org members -- including you -- stood together to demand it. We spread the word on Facebook more than 55,000 times. And together we attracted the attention of media around the globe, including CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, and hundreds of newspapers and blogs.

It's simply amazing. Thank you for making this victory possible.

- Eden and the Change.org team

P.S. In the past few months, Change.org members have won dozens of victories like this one, from freeing tortured human rights activists in Bahrain to pushing the world's largest florist to start selling Fair Trade flowers. They're all possible because someone, somewhere takes the initiative to start a campaign to change something important. Click here to create your own petition:

http://www.change.org/petition

 

[andysayshi]

I signed too!

 

[BostonPirate]

what bothers me is that Apple gave the App the 4 plus rating. They took time to look into it and decided it was just fine.

They changed their minds when the complaints came it.

While its discouraging that such a large corp has institutionalized homophobia, its encouraging that when we speak out, people hear us.

 

[Stardreamer]

I utterly agree that the app should be withdrawn but I can't help but be curious how it was supposed to work.

 

[JB3]

what bothers me is that Apple gave the App the 4 plus rating. They took time to look into it and decided it was just fine.

They changed their minds when the complaints came it.

While its discouraging that such a large corp has institutionalized homophobia, its encouraging that when we speak out, people hear us.

Clarification for all of you since most of you don't seem to understand how this all works:

Apple did not write, did not create, and did not market this application. There was no 'institutionalized homophobia'. When Apple approves apps for the store, in most cases they look only at whether it violates the developer guidelines. This app did not. Its also likely that this app slipped through the cracks; Apple individually evaluates all app store submissions, and they miss some bad ones.

Apple also did not give it any 4+ rating; those are generated entirely by app store consumers, and Apple has zero control over it.

Of all companies to criticize about being anti-gay, Apple is not one of them. They rank with Google as one of the most friendly places for LGBT people to work.

 

[bobo425]

Come on guys, let's respect their freedom of speech -- personally I hate the message but reserve their right to voice it. This is just an app provided by some hatemongering ignorant baffoons made for hatemongering ignorant baffoons. If you don't like the app don't subscribe to it. I think in time Apple will do the right thing and not allow it as an app option.

 

[rareboy]

Come on guys, let's respect their freedom of speech -- personally I hate the message but reserve their right to voice it. This is just an app provided by some hatemongering ignorant baffoons made for hatemongering ignorant baffoons. If you don't like the app don't subscribe to it. I think in time Apple will do the right thing and not allow it as an app option.

Whuthefuh?

No.

And they have done the right thing.

finally. There are reasonable limits to the shit people can get away with.

 

[rareboy]

Come on guys, let's respect their freedom of speech -- personally I hate the message but reserve their right to voice it. This is just an app provided by some hatemongering ignorant baffoons made for hatemongering ignorant baffoons. If you don't like the app don't subscribe to it. I think in time Apple will do the right thing and not allow it as an app option.

Whuthefuh?

No.

And they have done the right thing.

Finally. There are reasonable limits to the shit people can get away with.

 

[Glafna]

Everyone has their right to free speech.

The app went beyond free speech, and was infringing on peoples right to live how they want, possibly directly through their insecurity, possibly indirectly through family or friends trying to 'turn them straight'.

Anyways, what exactly was this app supposed to do? lol

 

[Zu-Mendel]

Come on guys, let's respect their freedom of speech -- personally I hate the message but reserve their right to voice it. This is just an app provided by some hatemongering ignorant baffoons made for hatemongering ignorant baffoons. If you don't like the app don't subscribe to it. I think in time Apple will do the right thing and not allow it as an app option.

And Apple has the right to pull anything they please from their systems when one of their incredibly profitable target audiences (the gays) uniformly stands up and demands it's removal. Access to Apple's private app store is not a right.

 

[bobo425]

wow --- I must be missing something. It's just a stupid app for stupid people. I certainly DO NOT subscribe to any doctrine or notion that "gay" can be cured. GOD MADE me this way, BLESSED ME BY MAKING ME GAY. If HE wants to change me, then let HIM change me. Otherwise, just ignore the STUPIDs of the world.

 

[andysayshi]

Clarification for all of you since most of you don't seem to understand how this all works:

Apple did not write, did not create, and did not market this application. There was no 'institutionalized homophobia'. When Apple approves apps for the store, in most cases they look only at whether it violates the developer guidelines. This app did not. Its also likely that this app slipped through the cracks; Apple individually evaluates all app store submissions, and they miss some bad ones.

Apple also did not give it any 4+ rating; those are generated entirely by app store consumers, and Apple has zero control over it.

Of all companies to criticize about being anti-gay, Apple is not one of them. They rank with Google as one of the most friendly places for LGBT people to work.

Thanks for adding clarity to this issue.

I'll remind readers here that Apple took a very public stance against Prop 8 in California, making a substantial donation to the anti-Prop 8 campaign. Apple have offered equal benefits to employees with same-sex partners for many years, and were one of the first companies in California to do so. Apple's acting CEO Tim Cook, although not very public about it, is gay.

So you can accuse Apple of many things, but being anti-gay is not one of them.

Personally, I'm not sure I agree with the removal of this app. Free speech is a two way street. After a petition of 150,000 names (including my own!) Apple removed the app. But what if an app offering support to young gays was to be canned after an equal response from anti-gay groups? Is it the same thing?

I don't like the app or the message it carried, but I also despise censorship. Now, I'm undecided on my stance on this issue.

 

[construct]

It's not censorship, and it doesn't infringe on anyone's free speech rights. Apple is free to make choices about what products it makes available in its stores.

Other online merchants make similar choices. Try to find a DVD of L. A. Tool and Die on Amazon.com. They made a choice not to carry it. They're not censoring anything.

Publishers make choices about what books they're going to publish. They turn down manuscripts left and right. They're not infringing on anyone's freedom of speech.

In all these instances, they are being sensitive to the marketplace and making business decisions based on what they think their customers will accept.

Now. I don't really care whether they sell the gay-curing app or not. I'm not sure who the market for this thing is, but I doubt it would do much to extend Exodus's appeal.

 

[kallipolis]

It's not censorship, and it doesn't infringe on anyone's free speech rights. Apple is free to make choices about what products it makes available in its stores.

Other online merchants make similar choices. Try to find a DVD of L. A. Tool and Die on Amazon.com. They made a choice not to carry it. They're not censoring anything.

Publishers make choices about what books they're going to publish. They turn down manuscripts left and right. They're not infringing on anyone's freedom of speech.

In all these instances, they are being sensitive to the marketplace and making business decisions based on what they think their customers will accept.

Now. I don't really care whether they sell the gay-curing app or not. I'm not sure who the market for this thing is, but I doubt it would do much to extend Exodus's appeal.

In other words Apple is much more concerned for its profit margins as a result of the market's backlash to including this application in their product.

Why the application was included in their product in the first place boggles the mind.

 

[kallipolis]

Thanks for adding clarity to this issue.

I'll remind readers here that Apple took a very public stance against Prop 8 in California, making a substantial donation to the anti-Prop 8 campaign. Apple have offered equal benefits to employees with same-sex partners for many years, and were one of the first companies in California to do so. Apple's acting CEO Tim Cook, although not very public about it, is gay.

So you can accuse Apple of many things, but being anti-gay is not one of them.

Personally, I'm not sure I agree with the removal of this app. Free speech is a two way street. After a petition of 150,000 names (including my own!) Apple removed the app. But what if an app offering support to young gays was to be canned after an equal response from anti-gay groups? Is it the same thing?

I don't like the app or the message it carried, but I also despise censorship. Now, I'm undecided on my stance on this issue.

The inclusion of the offending application in an Apple product does suggest that Tim Cook's sexuality is not particularly pertinent to this matter when some one, or another at the very top of Apple decided to include this application in an Apple product.

Or is it a matter of the left, and right hands not working in harmony?

 

[palemale]

Come on guys, let's respect their freedom of speech -- personally I hate the message but reserve their right to voice it. This is just an app provided by some hatemongering ignorant baffoons made for hatemongering ignorant baffoons. If you don't like the app don't subscribe to it. I think in time Apple will do the right thing and not allow it as an app option.

How about an application that makes gay teenagers feel hopeless and suicidal? Should they market that?

 

[kallipolis]

Clarification for all of you since most of you don't seem to understand how this all works:

Apple did not write, did not create, and did not market this application. There was no 'institutionalized homophobia'. When Apple approves apps for the store, in most cases they look only at whether it violates the developer guidelines. This app did not. Its also likely that this app slipped through the cracks; Apple individually evaluates all app store submissions, and they miss some bad ones.

Apple also did not give it any 4+ rating; those are generated entirely by app store consumers, and Apple has zero control over it.

Of all companies to criticize about being anti-gay, Apple is not one of them. They rank with Google as one of the most friendly places for LGBT people to work.

Really? That's the excuse? Apple missed the offending application? What happened to quality control? Does quality control not apply to applications included in their products?

The offending application was included in an Apple product. Apple remain responsible for everything that is included in their product. What ever the source of the application's genesis.

Apple were quick to remove the offending application - after the market backlash - reminded them that not a few of their loyal customers might shop elsewhere.

 

[construct]

I think a lot of it had to do with Exodus International's continuing misrepresentation of a U of MN professor's research.

Free speech doesn't protect such things, I'm thinking.




StarTribune article here.

That would be a nice cover, but that wasn't what the Apple spokesman said.

From the article:

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr said Wednesday, "We removed the Exodus International app from the App Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people."

As for how it got there in the first place, I see no reason to doubt JB3's explanation about the pro forma character of the initial screening. In effect, it was rather like the right hand not knowing what the left was doing as kallipolis suggested. The app is so out of step with Apple's corporate positions and policies on gay issues that I have a hard time believing that anyone there gave any serious thought to its content or goal.

 

[rareboy]

I think that the posts that are trying to make this a free speech and Apple censorship issue are some of the stupidest posts I've ever read.

The fact that Apple approves apps for use on on their system means that it is not an issue of free speech.

They've done the right thing and any homos who do not understand the clear threat to them are simply clueless.

 

[kallipolis]

of course, supporting free speech is easy if you limit yourself to only supporting those who agree with you.

I do not believe that shouting F I R E in a crowded theatre, when there is no fire is a matter of free speech rather malicious intent to cause panic, that leads to injury and death.

Likewise an application that falsely presumes to cure, or repair sexual orientation is tantamount to creating anguish, and terror in the hearts, and minds of gay persons who are anxious to be sexually n o r m a l - as Exodus understands normality.

A wise man understands the mine field that is free speech - but necessarily under the law, there are restrictions on free speech; that is why there are libel, and slander laws that respond to malicious abuse of the right to free speech.