Yahoo News, By Brett Michael Dykes, Wed Mar 23
Well, that was quick. Apple has announced it's pulling an application from its iTunes store supplied by a Christian group that professes to "cure" homosexuality.
The free app was the handiwork of a ministry called Exodus International, which says it specializes in "ex-gay" messaging. Advocacy groups opposed to the app such as Truth Wins Out and Change.org, sponsored an online petition calling for the app's removal. As of this morning, organizers said they'd collected 150,000 signatures.
"Apple made a wise and responsible decision to dump an offensive app that demonized gay and lesbian people," Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out, said in a statement. Change.org editor Mike Jones added, "We're thrilled that Apple has removed this 'gay cure' app from the iTunes store after more than 150,000 people signed this petition. The message Apple is sending here is clear: there is no place for 'ex-gay therapy' on the Apple platform."
Still, many wonder why Apple would approve of such an app in the first place. As Gawker tech writer Ryan Tate has pointed out, "every time Apple approves an app, it implies moral endorsement of the content of that app." Approving the app seemed especially out of character for Apple, since Steve Jobs' likely successor at the tech giant is an openly gay man. What's more, Apple's iconic early logo (shown above) featured the same rainbow color scheme associated with the gay movement, reportedly because Jobs wanted to "humanize" the company.
Meanwhile evangelical opponents of homosexuality have denounced Apple's decision to pull the app. Peter LaBarbera, the founder of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, took to Twitter to denounce the move as nothing less than a violation of the Constitution, writing, "H-O-M-O-F-A-S-C-I-S-M!!! Gays win, freedom of speech loses!! Yeah!!" For the record: Apple's decision was proprietary, and the government played no role in the app's removal.
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About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”
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