Exodus International

Exodus International
(No longer available)
Developed by Method Apps

The App Store is home to a multitude of quack applications that claim to cure everything from hair loss to hiccups, but only the now-deleted Exodus International app promised to cure homosexuality. The Exodus International app was created by the ministry of the same name, a group dedicated to "encouraging, educating and equipping the Body of Christ to address the issue of homosexuality with grace and truth." But grace and truth were conspicuously absent as the Exodus app extolled the virtues of so-called "reparative therapy," a form of treatment touted as a tool to "change" sexual orientation and discredited by professional medical organizations including the American Psychological Association, the American Medical Association and the American Counseling Association.

Reaction to the Exodus International app was swift and decisive. Gay rights nonprofit Truth Wins Out launched a Change.org online petition calling for Apple to remove the app, also writing an open letter to Apple stating "Apple doesn't allow racist or anti-Semitic apps in its app store, yet it is giving 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." After the petition collected close to 150,000 signatures, Apple deleted Exodus International in late May, with a spokesperson explaining "We removed the Exodus International app from the App Store because it violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people." The App Store giveth and the App Store taketh away.--Jason