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Exodus International, the notorious “ex-gay” organization, has just released an iPhone app that, according to its website, is “designed to be a useful resource for men, women, parents, students, and ministry leaders.” The Exodus website further boasts that its app received a 4+ rating from Apple, meaning that it contains “no objectionable content.”
No objectionable content? We beg to differ. Exodus’ message is hateful and bigoted. They claim to offer “freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ” and use scare tactics, misinformation, stereotypes and distortions of LGBT life to recruit clients. They endorse the use of so-called “reparative therapy” to “change” the sexual orientation of their clients, despite the fact that this form of “therapy” has been rejected by every major professional medical organization including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association, and the American Counseling Association. But reparative therapy isn’t just bad medicine — 
it’s also very damaging to the self-esteem and mental health of its victims.
This new iPhone app is the latest move in Exodus’ dangerous new strategy of targeting youth. In light of the recent wave of LGBT youth suicides, this tactic is particularly galling as it creates, legitimizes, and fuels the ostracism of LGBT youth by their families. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, LGBT teens who experienced negative feedback from their family were 8 times more likely to have attempted suicide, 6 times as vulnerable to severe depression, and 3 times more likely to use drugs (Caitlin Ryan, San Francisco State University, June 2009).
Apple doesn’t allow racist or anti-Semitic apps in its app store, yet it gives the green light to an app targeting vulnerable LGBT youth with the message that their sexual orientation is a “sin that will make your heart sick” and a “counterfeit.” This is a double standard that has the potential for devastating consequences.
Apple needs to be told, loud and clear, that this is unacceptable. Stand with Truth Wins Out – demand that the iTunes store stop supporting homophobia and remove the Exodus app.
was the exodus app placed next to the grindr app on purpose? or do writers on this site still cruise like it’s 1981?
I put it there on purpose.
Although there is nothing wrong with cruising. This is a sex-positive site and we encourage successful cruising — for both gay and straight people. Looking at hot guys or girls and flirting with them (or more) is quite fun and I strongly recommend it.
Typo in headline: demending?
the two apps are a funny juxtoposition and a sad representation of where most of Exodus’ clients come from – the recesses of the closet where being gay means screwing multiple partners nightly; and the only remedy is going “ex-gay.”
That’s ok, i don’t spend a lot of free time worrying about where my next orgasm is coming from. But thanks for the “recommend.”
Does anyone have secured info on why Chambers took several months (I vaguely recall 9 on an Oprah interview which did not flush out the reason) to consumate his gay marriage to his straight wife?
Other than the obvious nelly gelly gay girl that he is that most likely had severe mechanical difficulties with the dauntingly incompatible foriegn software, I haven’t heard any other reason.
I feel this is a big (un) sticking point (no pun intended) that may be advantageous to capitalize on, even to Apple.
@Emily,
Isn’t the reason you went celibate was because you did worry about your orgasms? Normal people unaffected by religious sexual malfunction don’t “worry” about their next orgasm, they find excitement in it. However, from your sick religious frame of reference I can see how you would think that.
Good try on your “drive by”. Too bad it doesn’t hold water w rational people unaffected by religious sexual immorality of which you subscribe.
Now go back to your web sight and quit bothering the adults.
The motivation behind this is valid, but I’m afraid Apple won’t budge. Being gay myself obviously I don’t support Exodus in any way, but I don’t believe their app should be blocked any more than, for example, Horoscope apps should – or Grindr, for that matter. It’s the price we pay for living in a free country. Bigotry, misinformation and poor choices are personal decisions and the best way to fight them is through education, not censorship.
Vini:
Do you know the definition of censorship? I suggest you look it up. We are not asking the government to block a viewpoint. We are asking a private company to exclude an app based on a fraudulent and deceptive organization engaged in consumer fraud that harms vulnerable clients.
As you must know, Apple turns down apps every day for a variety of reasons. A medically unsound, dishonest, bigoted, scientifically bankrupt product filled with blatant misinformation seems like a good reason to reject the app.
Don’t you think?
If you want to allow gay apps then you have to allow anti-gay apps. That’s how freedom of speech works. People are just trying to get it pulled because it’s a different viewpoint from others. People have the right to download any app they want.
Pete, you really need to educate yourselves on Exodus. This is a discredited cult that uses psychologically bankrupt ideas to brainwash its clients. There are survivor’s groups that exist to help people who have been badly damaged by this organization — that preaches that gay people have the “demon of homosexuality”. There are also groups to support divorced spouses who ended up marrying these so-called “ex-gays” — who were instructed to claim they had gone straight, when they actually had not.
As for the “freedom” argument — did you know that Exodus #1 goal for 2011 is indoctrinating youth who are forced to go to these “ex-gay” boot camps against their will? Were you aware that the organization is telling middle school children that they are sick and sinful and need to pray away the gay? Did you know that the therapy group that Exodus works with, NARTH, takes “clients” as young as 3 years old?
Still calling this a matter of “choice” and “freedom”? Or, do you support psychologically torturing young kids by demeaning them and forcing them into Exodus programs against their will?
“If you want to allow gay apps then you have to allow anti-gay apps. That’s how freedom of speech works.”
That’s why Apple allows racist apps, right? Oh wait, no it doesn’t.
“If you want to allow gay apps then you have to allow anti-gay apps. That’s how freedom of speech works.”
First of all, you imply an equivalency where I don’t believe one exists. Second, governments in the US (to which the First Amendment applies) must not censor even vile speech. Apple is not a democracy, and does not have to allow anything it doesn’t want to. Their TOS applies and they do have anti-hate provisions in there (see Manhattan Declaration app).
At first I was a little iffy on banning this thing, not because I like Exodus, but because I too generally err on the side of “free speech.” However, if even one kid gets sucked into this bizarre, ex-gay road because they thought it was cool because Apple allowed it, then that’s one too many.
iDavid, I actually don’t live a religious celibate lifestyle and do not subscribe to Exodus’ belief that to be Godly you have to be a celibate gay person. And since I comment here all the time, it’s hardly a “drive by.”
Rather, I’m a progressive Jew who subscribes to progressive Jewish beliefs about sexuality, including that gay sex is not a sin, and neither is sex outside marriage.
Thanks Wayne for putting the Starbucks card app on there, that’s one of my fav places to hang out. :)
ps..@Emily K, I don’t know why iDavid ragged out on you, your posting was totally innocuous; and I’ve been reading your postings on here for a long time–you’re pretty cool and some of your humorous comments make me laugh out loud. I don’t recall having seen iDavid on here before, he seems more like the ‘drive by’.
Emily K, That was weird–I’m not sure what got into iDavid there. I went back and reread your posts and really can’t figure out what he got so upset about.
Sign THIS!
http://www.change.org/petitions/truth-wins-out-stop-with-the-reverse-suppression-from-gays-4
@Emily K
I found your comparing the “writers of the site still cruise like it’s 1981″ and “I don’t worry about my next orgasm” (because you’re celibate for reasons you chose to leave out), condescending.
Your general flavor on the site you write for, Exgaywatch.com is chock full of side-winding snipes you project at commenters. Your own co-writer here David Roberts did not come to your defense as he is obviously well aware of your character regarding others. Shall we get out the list?
It’s demeaning to our cause and it does not make for good will amongst gay people that are trying to resolve a very big issue of cultural demoralization. Having a gay co-writer of Exgaywatch.com taking pot shots at their own commenters sets a very bad example, hence a low number of comments on your site. You just had someone complain about this very thing at Boxturtle.com recently. Wherein the writer on that site made it very clear to the one who complained about your snarkiness, that you were not a writer for said site. Personally if I were involved in having to deal with your journalistic style on a professional level, I would distance you post haste.
I don’t know what your problem is and I’m not going to speculate. Nor am I going to continue this conversation. It is an issue now brought up and you can do with it what you will. Suffice it to say I would certainly like to see these behaviors in you cease to exhibit themselves in the public forum.
PS Correction; Boxturtle.com is Boxturtlebulletin.com, a great sight for like minded gay people.
Pete said “If you want to allow gay apps then you have to allow anti-gay apps. That’s how freedom of speech works.”.
That’s like saying if Apple allows Jewish apps then it has to allow anti-semite apps or if it allows apps for black people it has to allow KKK apps – obviously not.
David Roberts said “At first I was a little iffy on banning this thing, not because I like Exodus, but because I too generally err on the side of “free speech.”.
LOL, what a blatant crock of shite. Censorship Nazis don’t get much worse than you.
Daniel said “Emily K, That was weird–I’m not sure what got into iDavid there. I went back and reread your posts and really can’t figure out what he got so upset about.”.
Emily’s two comments implied (intentionally) that the writers here are sex obsessed and promiscuous, primarily concerned with where their next orgasm is comming from while she is unconcerned about sex and thus morally superior. This is pretty typical of Emily, it upsets her when people have an easy going acceptance and enjoyment of their sex lives, something she is secretly deeply envious of. She can regularly be heard getting uptight about other people’s uninhibited sex lives.
IDavid said “Boxturtle.com is Boxturtlebulletin.com, a great sight for like minded gay people.”.
The people at Boxturtle are far from like minded.
LOL
iDavid, not that it’s any of your business, but I’m celibate at the moment because I’m single. But this has nothing to do with religion. and it’s not something I”m ashamed of, either, because my sex life (or lack their of) is not something to be ashamed of. I don’t recall ever making a statement that I’m living a purposeful celibate life – should I get involved with someone, celibacy will take a sideline – at least for that time :).
As for the comments about me being a “journalist” or snarking on commenters on XGW, or somebody on another site making comments about me making comments (???), I really have no idea what you’re talking about, but then, I don’t care much about it either.
@Emily K
I have to agree with iDavid and Priya Lynn, I found your comments here offensive. I can only surmise these two have valid points about your character on the web. Particularly when you display arrogance at laughing them off and denial of their allegations. Your laughter seems more like a coverup for your embarrassment rather than an adult way of confronting a negative situation. Such flippant behavior does not bode well in my book and places you at best, in a weak position.
Due to this off putting behavior I will make it a point not to support the web site you write for.
“I can only surmise these two have valid points about your character on the web…Your laughter seems more like a coverup for your embarrassment rather than an adult way of confronting a negative situation.”
Hey, make all the assumptions you want. I don’t even know who you are.
“Due to this off putting behavior I will make it a point not to support the web site you write for.”
‘K.
You just don’t get it now do ya girl. It would appear what we have here is a sexually starved jewish princess w a flatulence problem. Would you mind stinking up your own room and let us have our fresh air of sexual freedom w/o condemnation here? Yeh even if we exhibit 1981. It’s really “none of your business”.
Case closed.
It did come off as pretty condescending and accusational, Emily. There’s nothing wrong with being sex positive or having fun cruising, and your comments on the matter were kind of unwarranted. And this is coming from someone who isn’t celibate by choice but by hardwiring.
If homophobic prudes are all uptight because some gay people like to go out and have fun, then it’s their stupid bigotry that needs correcting and people have no need to cater to it. They have no room to complain and their assertions that it’s inherently immoral are false.
6.Scary! The schools that teach Johnny has two daddies has now been “INFILTRATED” by people that believe in God!!! We must stop this!! It is so offensive for people to try and force their religious beliefs on others/us/our kids/future. We must make them all realize that it is God that is bad and not gays.. WE MUST KILL GOD! We must have no basis for life! No moral imperatives!! Good and Evil are for us to decide not some group of nuts that have been around since Adam and Steve. It is wrong to believe that if everyone were gay there would be no children.. We can use medicine to inseminate the test tubes and continue with the species and all be gay like us!! WE must stop these nuts who go to gay day at disney world and say things like we are not homo sexuals. We want to make sure no one ever forces anyone to accept anything unless we approve of it.. If u don’t like watching two men kiss in front of your 4 year old well u better get right because gay is normal. Just look at how animals procreate.. If they only new what was right! Why can’t heterosexual people just mind their own business and let gays tell everyone what to believe!! LOL…
That one’s so stupid, I’m not even going to bother.
Sometimes when I try to put on pants, I fall down!
I was dropped on my head as a child!
[Duplicate comment removed by moderator.
See this page for the original comment.]
N Waff, you have to realize that cutting and pasting the same bs to the comments on every story regardless of the actual content of that story doesn’t doe anything to help your credibility.
cutting and pasting half truths and misinformation does not help you already non existant believability N Waff.
Thank God fewer and fewer people (except in third world uneducated basket case “nations” like Uganda) are even listening to you. Hopefully soon no one will be hurt by the mental poison and emotional abuse you peddle, and the immoral work of the fundy trash at Exodus to keep people from having our rightful rights will end.
We can all, allready see it happening.
There are no “ex gay” people by the way…just closet cases declaired “success stories! Now married with a kid” who cry on my shoulder about how miserible they are, and how guilty they are for marrying a good woman he is not really attracted to, but is to frightened to leave because he fears his family, who have let it be known they will disown him if is he honest about who he is.
Sorry, but I don’t get what all of the brouhaha is over Emily K’s allegedly offensive comments. I guess I’m just dense.
Good guess, Paul.
BoB, were you home-schooled?
@Richard Rush. LOL
You guys are ridiculous. Last time I checked, we live in this place called America. In this place so called America, we are entitled to certain rights. In case you have never heard of these before, they are called the bill of rights. In this amazing bill of rights that our country is established on by our four fathers, the first right that is given to us is the freedom of speech. I need not say anymore, but apparently I have to, because it seems that it only works for people that are saying things that they want to hear. Therefore, since we have this freedom of speech, the maker of this app is fully entitled to their freedom of speech, which allows them to have the freedom to make whatever kind of app he wants. THIS also means that you guys can make whatever app you guys want, which you already have, (at least 100 of them) and anybody can say anything they want about it, but you don’t have to change it if you don’t want to. Therefore, you are outright in the wrong position to stop this app, because the person who made the app has their freedoms. Don’t like that? Then go live in a third world country where you have no rights whatsoever, and maybe you will be happy. In conclusion, he can do whatever he wants and you guys can do whatever you want. Are we really forgetting what America is based on? YOU guys are prejudice, and I AM OFFENDED that you have taken someone’s freedom of speech.
Hmmm, where in the U.S. Constitution does it guarantee that every citizen gets to have an app sold in the Apple store? I must have missed that one in class.
American Teen Male, we urge you to spend less time being offended and more time reading books, so you might learn a little something about this country’s system of law.
ATM, go study the Constitution. Also, what Wayne said.
Actually, yes in a way there is, because in the bill of rights it says freedom of speech. That means that you can have speech, whether it is in writing, electronically, or verbally. This is coming from a teenager. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Honey, while ou’re at it, read what the first amendment says. Congress shall make no law…
” It is wrong to believe that if everyone were gay there would be no children”
No, bob, if everyone were gay, we’d have a lot fewere unwanted cihldren and probably no abortions. We wouldn’t have teenage girls getting pregnant and having babies that they nad the teenaged fathers cannot support.
Bob, no one herei s against god. What we are against is YOU using YOUR version of god as a weapon against people you do not know, know nothing aobut, and who have done you no harm.
American teen male, I can only assume that you just came on and posted without ever actually doing any research or even reading the post you’re responding to. Apple doesn’t just let anyone put up and app. And the fact that you’re a teenager pulls no weight–it just makes you seem like another uninformed American teenager. Why don’t you buck the trend I try to get informed?
American teen male said “In this amazing bill of rights that our country is established on by our four fathers,…”.
Can you name all four of those fathers?
that you are a teen…is showing.
Some speech, such as screaming “fire” in a crowded theatre, is illegal.
Putting out apps, and other lies, such as Exodus does, should be also. That needs to be dealt with by hate speech legislation.
In any case, it is morally and socially unacceptable…just as supporting the KKK is unaccepatable, or supporting Child molesters is unacceptable, or supporting the NAZI party is unacceptable. Apple would never DREAM of allowing one of THOSE groups to put up an App, and it was amazing and unthinkable that they EVER allowed this one!
As was appropriate, it was removed.
Ben in Oakland, elegantly said, an no doubt true (post 44)
Okay here we go again:
1. To Ben: though I do agree with the god thing you said to bob, I disagree when you say congress shall make no law, because you might want to go back to school and find out that congress makes the laws. Good job.
2. To Daniel: But wouldn’t it only be fair, because you guys have a bunch of gay apps, so this one app that helps them get in the other direction, should be out there, because it only makes sense. By the way, apple chose to out it on there because they knew he had the right. But I guess freedom of speech only applies to YOU.
3. To Priya Lynn:Sorry about my grammmar, but I meant to say Forefathers. And there were 41 of them, so I’m not going to list all of them, even though some of them include Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, etc.
4. To Gene: Again, whether we agree with what these people are saying or disagree, they still, under our laws, have the right of freedom of speech. Just because you don’t think it is right to support groups that you don’t like, doesn’t meen they don’t have this right. By the way, there is no comparison with exodus to these other groups that you have mentioned. So what you are trying to say, is that everyone that you disagree with, has to prosecuted by law? Because they might think the same of you!
P.S. If you guys are so “Gay” then why are you say angry?
Gay- highly excited, happy, exuberant.
-Websters Dictionary.
*So angry
Oh, American Closeted Boy, why are you on a gay website arguing with people who are smarter than you, funnier than you, and more out of the closet than you? Why, oh why…
Also, your understanding of Freedom of Speech is pathetically stupid. Please stay in school, for the sake of anyone you ever meet.
(And if you are home skooled, oh my god.)