Apple still hasn't released a statement about the anti-gay Exodus International app that was available in its iTunes store or how the app made it through Apple's selection policy with its offensive content.
After removing the app Tuesday night, Apple is standing silent. It seems that the removal of the app was prompted by the gathering of 150,000 signatures through Change.org of people who protested the app's anti-gay content. Now that the offensive app is gone, people are still upset.
People are dismayed that Exodus International, an app that proposes to "cure" homosexuality was released on iTunes despite Apple's policy of supporting LGBT rights and not accepting any apps that contain offensive content. But after its removal, they are now upset that Apple has not said anything on the subject.
Protestors say that the app was particularly offensive, because it targeted an already vulnerable group -- LGBT teens -- several of whom have committed suicide in recent months. Protestors also point out the fact that every respected medical authority has declared that not only can a person's sexual orientation not be changed, but that to try to do so can cause irreparable harm.
This past November Apple removed an app called Manhattan Declaration for its anti-gay message after protests by the LGBT community. Change.org was also instrumental in that battle, causing Apple to act after gathering only 7,000 signatures.
So, why the silence? Some customers are angry. "I think that they are a "money talks, bullshit walks" company. They took it off but not for the right reasons. It took 151,125 signatures for them to remove the app. If no one had noticed the app would still be there. Their silence means that they don't give a fuck," says an irate iPhone owner who is also a lesbian.
"If it had been an anti-Semitic or anti-black app, it would have never made it to the iTunes store because Apple would have been scared shitless, but Apple didn't care because it was just gays. You make anti-black comments and you lose your job or fuck up your career like Imus or Kramer [Michael Richards], if you make anti-Semitic remarks it's the same - when was the last time you saw a Mel Gibson movie?"
It also does not look good that this is the second anti-gay app that we know about to make it through Apple's screening and selection process for apps. This needs to be tracked down to the individual or individuals who put the final stamp of approval on theses apps. And then they need to be "cured" of their employment.
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