Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Apple iPhones, iPads, the "Ex-gay" Lie and Gay Teen Suicides

I began my activism working with Wayne Besen to help expose former "ex-gay" poster by Michael Johnston as a fraud. For those unfamiliar with Michael Johnston, he appeared in a national anti-gay campaign backed by a veritable who's who of the Christian Right. Johnston and his backers pretended that by "accepting Jesus" Johnston became miraculously became straight. The only problem was that back in his native Hampton Roads, Johnston was sleeping around with men and leaving out the important detail that he was HIV+. Given Johnston's example of how fraudulent the "ex-gay" story line is in fact, not to mention the fact that the APA has condemned reparative therapy as unethical, one can only WTF Apple was thinking when it allowed an iPhone application for Exodus International? Are the folks at Apple gearing one up for the KKK as their next offering? John Aravoisis at America Blog sums up mu thoughts fairly accurately:
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Pardon my French, but WTF? Why does Apple require you to click some "yes I'm old enough" button when downloading gay apps on the iPhone, but when downloading "ex-gay" apps - i.e., apps built by hateful anti-gay bigots who falsely tell young impressionable children that they can pray away the gay - Apple has no restrictions at all on that app. In spite of the fact that federal statistics show 1 in 3 gay kids tries to commit suicide. In spite of the fact that the very first thing in the FAQ of the app is focused at kids.
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This is akin to giving children medical advice from a quack. These people are telling children that they can be cured of their homosexuality. That is a medical opinion, and it a completely false one that has been debunked for years. Does Apple allow other apps to give children fake medical advice on the iPhone?
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When the first kid kills himself after downloading this app, what is Apple going to say then? Not very good publicity for the iPhone or the iPad, helping push young impressionable troubled kids over the edge.
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I've never owned an Apple product and, based on this irresponsible involvement with Exodus International, I never will. Apple needs to re-think this pact with the Devil now and drop the Exodus International application.

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