LGBT activists and allies are upset about the iPhone app just released by “ex-gay” group Exodus International.
The app, according to Exodus’s website, is “designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders,” and has received a 4+ rating from iPhone maker Apple, meaning it carries “no objectionable content.”
However, Truth Wins Out, which has started a petition against the app at Change.org, points out that Exodus endorses “reparative therapy” to change a person’s sexual orientation — something that has been discredited by all major medical organizations and is “very damaging to the self-esteem and mental health of its victims.”
In the petition to Apple executives including CEO Steve Jobs, Truth Wins Out officials write that Exodus “targets vulnerable, suicide-prone LGBT youth with the message that their sexual orientation is a ‘sin that will make your heart sick’ and a ‘counterfeit,’ contributing to and legitimizing the ostracism of these youth from their families.” They note that Apple does not allow racist or anti-Semitic applications, so allowing the Exodus app represents a double standard, and they call on the company to remove it.
LGBT activists have raised concerns about other apps previously. Apple last year removed the antigay Manhattan Declaration app, but earlier this year the company started offering a Roman Catholic confession app that includes gay sex among sins.
To read more or sign the petition, click here.
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