Calls Continue For Apple To Pull App That Argues Gay Cure Available

Apple continues to court controversy, the AFP reporting that Monday the company was under pressure to pull a "gay cure" application from its iTunes store for software for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. More than 110,000 people had electronically signed an online petition at a change.org website calling for Apple to remove the Exodus International application from iTunes (including, myself, in the interest of full disclosure). Exodus, a Florida-based Christian group that promotes a reparative therapy from homosexuality through religion, has publicly condemned the petition as an assault on free speech and a deliberate misunderstanding of the application's purpose. The free software program links users to Exodus information including videos, podcasts, a Twitter feed, and the group's page at Facebook. On its website, Exodus insists that Apple ranked its program as containing "no objectionable material,” and adds that "This application is designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders," and that "We hope to reach a broader demographic and readily provide information that is crucial for many seeking hope and encouragement." Change.org says it is shocked that iTunes would approve an app from "a notoriously anti-gay organization" that used "scare tactics, misinformation, stereotypes and distortions,” and says “Exodus's message is hateful and bigoted."