Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

edibleapple.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 71 posts

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#31

Post by [deleted] »

timdorr wrote: post #9
rflrob wrote: post #2

I really don't know how good the "offensive to large groups of people" standard is. If there were a Qur'an app, might not a large group of (racist, xenophobic) people find the idea of a book dictated by an angel to be offensive? Fortunately, Apple is a corporation and need not concern itself with being as exactingly fair as the federal government.

Create some litmus test apps, then. Put up a "Christian Cure" and "Muslim Cure" app and see if they get taken down or rejected. It would be interesting to see the results.

[deleted]

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#32

Post by joesb »

tosiabunio wrote: post #24
davvid wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It wasn't hurting anyone by being there I have to respectfully disagree. I'm glad they got rid of this stupid app. It's simply hate sugar-coated with psuedo-science. Apple made the right decision. "app store removes questionable content" -- How is this news? It's not like the app store is known for being a "free" or "open" platform in the first place.

> It's simply hate sugar-coated with psuedo-science. Apple made the right decision. Shouldn't Apple remove all astrology apps then?

Is Astrology hate sugar-coated with pseudo-science?

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#33

Post by bad_user »

henrikschroder wrote: post #27
bad_user wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but you know what's worse than removing "offensive" apps? Being selective about it. Or rather, if you make it your missing to ban "offensive" apps and a "gay cure app" gets approved, then you look like an ass.

That makes no sense, "offensive" is an arbitrary standard anyway. By definition you're being selective about it. I guess in this case Apple's standard is that they remove apps that are offensive to their shareholders and customers.

The term is subjective, yes, but an app that promises a Gay Cure is by definition offensive, no matter what definition of "offensive" you choose -- it's also medically dangerous, since gayness is not really a disease.

So if Apple pretends that it's doing this approval for the betterment of the App Store, like a Shepard blocking out impure apps from its garden, then they'd better make sure Gay Cure apps are out, otherwise they are hypocrites.

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#34

Post by photophotoplasm »

defroost wrote: post #20
photophotoplasm wrote: post #5

It didn't deserve to be removed in my opinion. It wasn't hurting anyone by being there. That being said, I can understand why Apple did remove it, because it doesn't make any business sense to enter a PR war over the relatively miniscule amount of profit they'd make from this app.

How is the app "not hurting anyone"? The implication of the app in question is that if you are gay you are some kind of diseased freak that can be "cured". Churches have been trying these kinds of "pray away the gay treatments" for homosexual members, sometimes with tragic results like self-loathing, suicide, etc. I am certainly for free speech, but things like this, hate speech, or the Westboro Baptist church protes…

> The implication of the app in question is that if you are gay you are some kind of diseased freak that can be "cured".

Well, the organisation that created this app explicitly believes that. There's nothing implicit about it.

But it's not like they're forcing this app on people. I'm assuming it's being willingly used by people who believe homosexuality is wrong and think they can stop their own homosexual urges.

If that's what they believe, let them go for it, I reckon. I don't have a right to tell them that they should be having relations that they clearly believe are wrong or immoral.

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#35

Post by [deleted] »

Confusion wrote: post #21
photophotoplasm wrote: post #5

It didn't deserve to be removed in my opinion. It wasn't hurting anyone by being there. That being said, I can understand why Apple did remove it, because it doesn't make any business sense to enter a PR war over the relatively miniscule amount of profit they'd make from this app.

"you can't cure gayness" "of course you can, otherwise Apple wouldn't have approved an app that does it" 'Apple' is a name that carries authority and that can be used to lend credence to misinformation. That definitely does hurt people. Read the above as the last thing a father said to his gay son. If banning this app prevents even one tragedy, then good riddance. There are no disadvantages to applauding Apple for re…

[deleted]

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#37

Post by electromagnetic »

corin_ wrote: post #25
megablast wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of us feel the same way, but surely free speech is so much more important than these other issues.

I've tried to have that debate between my two opinions so many times, but haven't managed to find a way to be OK with people who are racist or homophobic. I'd still defend the right to call me stupid, to call all British people stupid (my country), and many other things. But some hatred goes too far over the line for me to not want to try and prevent. I'm not particularly up on legal systems, but I believe that in bo…

AFAIK in both the US and UK you can still say whatever you want quite freely. Where the issue comes up is when people try to incite hatred, because all our laws fall under everyone else's rights being above our own.

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#38

Post by officemonkey »

bad_user wrote: post #33
henrikschroder wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That makes no sense, "offensive" is an arbitrary standard anyway. By definition you're being selective about it. I guess in this case Apple's standard is that they remove apps that are offensive to their shareholders and customers.

The term is subjective, yes, but an app that promises a Gay Cure is by definition offensive, no matter what definition of "offensive" you choose -- it's also medically dangerous, since gayness is not really a disease. So if Apple pretends that it's doing this approval for the betterment of the App Store, like a Shepard blocking out impure apps from its garden, then they'd better make sure Gay Cure apps are out, other…

Smoking is medically dangerous.

Should Apple ban iSmokeit and other apps that facilitate smoking?

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#39

Post by wlievens »

corin_ wrote: post #25
megablast wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of us feel the same way, but surely free speech is so much more important than these other issues.

I've tried to have that debate between my two opinions so many times, but haven't managed to find a way to be OK with people who are racist or homophobic. I'd still defend the right to call me stupid, to call all British people stupid (my country), and many other things. But some hatred goes too far over the line for me to not want to try and prevent. I'm not particularly up on legal systems, but I believe that in bo…

Classifying blatant racism under free speech can have actual consequences too. Consider the genocide in Rwanda in which racist radio programmes encouraged massive killings. You could say that everyone's responsible for their own actions, nobody forced anyone to grab machettes and kill their neighbours, but somehow that argument falls apart when you're dealing with mass hysteria.

Re: Apple removes "Gay Cure" app from iTunes

#40

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

bad_user wrote: post #33
henrikschroder wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That makes no sense, "offensive" is an arbitrary standard anyway. By definition you're being selective about it. I guess in this case Apple's standard is that they remove apps that are offensive to their shareholders and customers.

The term is subjective, yes, but an app that promises a Gay Cure is by definition offensive, no matter what definition of "offensive" you choose -- it's also medically dangerous, since gayness is not really a disease. So if Apple pretends that it's doing this approval for the betterment of the App Store, like a Shepard blocking out impure apps from its garden, then they'd better make sure Gay Cure apps are out, other…

> The term is subjective, yes, but an app that promises a Gay Cure is by definition offensive

By your definition - it had thousands of downloads and the organisation that produced it has thousands of members who clearly do not find it offensive and that likely extends to tens or hundreds of thousands of evangelicals (if not millions).

That's how subjective works.

Post reply on HN