Apple removes religious app promoting gay conversion therapy
The Living Hope Ministries developed the app three years ago
By Steve Brown
Apple has removed a religious app from its App Store which said being gay was an ‘addiction’, ‘sickness’ and ‘sin’.
The religious non-profit group, Living Hope Ministries, which says it helps ‘those who are seeking sexual and relational wholeness through a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ’ created and owns the LHM Men’s Network app.
But after a petition was launched by the Truth Wins Out group, which fights ‘anti-gay religious extremism’, Apple removed the app from their store, NBC reported.
Ricky Chelette, executive director of the LHM, said: “We help people understand who they are in Christ.
“We only help those individuals who are seeking us.”
Chelette also revealed that the app was created three years ago.
The Truth Wins Out group claimed that the app attempted to help LGBT+ youth with conversion therapy and thanked Apple’s CEO Tim Cook for removing the app after the petition received 356 signatures.
Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, said: “We thank Apple for exemplifying corporate responsibility and taking swift action to remove a dangerous app that stigmatises and demeans LGBT+ people.
“Ex-gay programs are consumer fraud and cause significant harm to the people they purport to help.”