Apple Removes 'Ex-Gay' App; Will Google Follow?

Apple took down the app soon after a petition was launched, but no word from Google so far.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

May 31 2013 6:15 PM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

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If you want to become "ex-gay," there's yet another app for that -- at least on Google, which so far has not taken it down, even after Apple's iTunes did.

Apple Thursday removed the no-cost app called Setting Captives Free, which promises to help users gain "freedom from the bondage of homosexuality," according to the LGBT group All Out, which has petitioned the vendors to remove it. All Out started its petition Wednesday, and Apple stopped offering the app the next day, saying it violated guidelines. Google so far has not responded, according to All Out.

"The app targets vulnerable people who are unsure of their sexuality or demonized because of who they love," All Out spokesman Andre Banks said in a statement issued today. "Those who don't know better will try this app, but they will undoubtedly fail to change who they are. Our concern is for those who may face severe depression or contemplate harming themselves as a result of this insane app. Governments and doctors have come out forcefully against 'gay cures' around the globe to protect citizens from this egregious and unnecessary harm."

Two years ago Apple took down an app from the "ex-gay" group Exodus International after LGBT advocates objected.