"Ex-Gay" App Dropped From Apple's Online Store After Petition Protest

So-called 'ex-gay therapy' can lead to anxiety, depression & suicide
(stock photo via Depositphotos)

An app promoting so-called “conversion therapy” has been removed from Apple’s App Store one day after LGBTQ advocacy group Truth Wins Out (TWO) launched a campaign in protest.

Non-profit Christian organization Living Hope Ministries had developed and promoted the free app for over three years, according to The Dallas Morning News.

But once the folks at TWO, which fights the ‘ex-gay’ myth, discovered the app, it was time for action.

A Change.org petition was launched asking Apple to remove the app from its store citing the many organizations (American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association to name a few) that oppose the practice as multiple studies show it can lead to anxiety, depression, and self-destructive behavior, including suicide.

In their petition, TWO asked, “Why would Apple allow its online store to be used as a platform to promote such dangerous, homophobic garbage?”

The app was dropped from Apple’s App Store the next day.

Apparently, the deletion occurred without notifying Living Hope Ministries.

Executive Director Ricky Chelette told The Dallas Morning News they plan to appeal the decision, adding, “I don’t know why they would have taken it down.”

On their website, Living Hope Ministries says its mission is “to proclaim God’s truth as we journey with those seeking sexual and relational wholeness through a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.”

In a statement, Truth Wins Out executive director Wayne Besen thanked Apple for “exemplifying corporate responsibility and taking swift action to remove a dangerous app that stigmatizes and demeans LGBT people.”

“Ex-gay programs are consumer fraud and cause significant harm to the people they purport to help,” he added.

The app is still available, though, on other digital platforms like Google and Amazon, and Besen is addressing those tech giants as well.

"Every minute this heinous product is available on these platforms, the potential exists for it to harm LGBT youth," says Besen. "We demand that Google and Amazon immediately stop selling and promoting this app, which dehumanizes LGBT people."

While Texas allows the harmful practice, conversion therapy has been banned for use on young people in 14 states as well as the District of Columbia.

56 Major Companies Denounce Trump Administration's Attack On Transgender Protections

Fifty-six major companies (including Apple, Coca-Cola, Google, Microsoft, and IBM) have signed on to a letter in support of transgender equality.

The project was headed up by 14 LGBTQ advocacy organizations, led by the Human Rights Campaign and Out Leadership.

The coalition included: Athlete Ally, Freedom for All Americans, GLAAD, GLSEN, Lambda Legal, National Center for Transgender Equality, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, National LGBTQ Task Force, Out & Equal, PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF).

In the letter, the companies denounce the Trump administration's treatment of trans people including the recently discovered plan to 'redefine' trans people out of existence.

We, the undersigned businesses, stand with the millions of people in America who identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or intersex, and call for all such people to be treated with the respect and dignity everyone deserves.

We oppose any administrative and legislative efforts to erase transgender protections through reinterpretation of existing laws and regulations. We also fundamentally oppose any policy or regulation that violates the privacy rights of those that identify as transgender, gender non-binary, or intersex.

In the last two decades, dozens of federal courts have affirmed the rights and identities of transgender people. Cognizant of growing medical and scientific consensus, courts have recognized that policies that force people into a binary gender definition determined by birth anatomy fail to reflect the complex realities of gender identity and human biology.

Recognizing that diversity and inclusion are good for business, and that discrimination imposes enormous productivity costs (and exerts undue burdens), hundreds of companies, including the undersigned, have continued to expand inclusion for transgender people across corporate America.

Currently more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 have clear gender identity protections; two-thirds have transgender-inclusive healthcare coverage; hundreds have LGBTQ+ and Allies business resource groups and internal training efforts.

Transgender people are our beloved family members and friends, and our valued team members. What harms transgender people harms our companies.

We call for respect and transparency in policy-making, and for equality under the law for transgender people.

Accenture
Adobe Systems Inc.
Airbnb
Altria Group
Amalgamated Bank
Amazon
American Airlines
Apple
Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP)
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade
BNY Mellon
Cargill
Cisco Systems Inc.
Citi
Clifford Chance
The Coca Cola Company
Corning Incorporated
Corteva Agriscience [™] , the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont
The Dow Chemical Company
Deutsche Bank
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company
Facebook
Fastly, Inc.
Google
Hogan Lovells International LLP
HSBC
IBM Corporation
Intel Corporation
Intuit Inc.
Iron Mountain
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Levi Strauss & Co.
LinkedIn
Lush Handmade Cosmetics
Lyft
Marriott International
MassMutual
MGM Resorts International
Microsoft Corp.
Nike, Inc.
PepsiCo
Replacements, Ltd.
Ropes & Gray
Royal Bank of Canada
S&P Global
Salesforce
Sheppard Mullin
Sodexo Inc.
Splunk
State Street Corporation
TiVo Corporation
Trillium Asset Management
Twitter Inc.
Uber
Warby Parker

Apple CEO Tim Cook: "Being Gay Is God's Greatest Gift To Me"

In an interview with CNN's Christine Amanpour, Apple CEO Tim Cook says being gay is "God's greatest gift to me."

Via CNN Money:

Four years ago, Tim Cook became the first CEO of a major company to come out as gay. He says he’s happy about that distinction — and his decision. “I’m very proud of it,” the Apple CEO told Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday in an exclusive interview for her program on CNN International and PBS.

Being gay is “God’s greatest gift to me,” he said. Cook came out on October 30, 2014. His sexual orientation had been widely rumored beforehand though he had not confirmed it publicly.

“I went public because I started to receive stories from kids who read online that I was gay,” he told Amanpour. “I needed to do something for them,” Cook said. He wanted to demonstrate to gay children that they “can be gay and still go on and do some big jobs in life.”

New iPhone X Ad Celebrates Marriage Equality In Australia - "First Dance"

After a long, long journey to marriage equality (that included an official mail-in survey of the entire nation showing over 60% approval), same-sex weddings have begun in Australia.

And in a nod to the idea that the best camera is the one you have on you, Apple has created a new ad featuring those most romantic of wedding moments - a couple's first dance - captured at LGBTQ weddings that were shot entirely on iPhone Xs.

Watch the very sweet spot, titled "First Dance," below.

News Round-Up: December 27, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• It's Hump Day - Do I really need to explain why actor/model Trevor LaPaglia (above) is here? #woof

• Who could possibly be a big enough star to headline the Sydney Gay & Lesbian 40th Mardi Gras celebration the year that marriage equality becomes a reality? Word is it's the one and only Cher.

• Donald Trump's lawyers are telling the Trumpster the Robert Mueller investigation will soon come to an end, but those in the know say that's "fanciful" thinking as Yahoo News reports Mueller has just collected "a mountain of new evidence."

• Kansas City weatherman Gary Lezak came out to the world and introduced his longtime partner in a moving Facebook post last week.

• An Orlando police officer who saved lives the night of the Pulse Nightclub shooting is being fired just months before his pension would kick in.

• Apple is facing at least 8 lawsuits over iPhone software updates that slowed down phones without informing customers.

• And here's the always fun round-up of Best News Bloopers of 2017, just to show you folks on TV are human like all of us:

Daily Dance

From Apple, who wants to remind you to "move someone" this holiday season.

Featuring out singer/songwriter Sam Smith's "Palace."

I wish they'd listed the choreographer - beautiful, atmospheric, romantical, creative :)

Watch below.

Major Companies Urge SCOTUS To Take Up LGBT Workplace Discrimination Case

Major American corporations have signed on to an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court urging the high court to rule that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace.

The Trump administration has taken the opposite opinion.

From the AP:

The 76 businesses and organizations - including American Airlines, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Starbucks and Microsoft - filed a brief Wednesday encouraging the high court to take up the issue. They want the court to take a case out of Georgia in which a gay woman who worked as a hospital security officer says she was harassed and punished for dressing in a male uniform and wearing her hair short. Jameka Evans, who worked at Georgia Regional Hospital at Savannah from 2012 to 2013, ultimately left her job and sued.

The question in her case is whether a federal law barring workplace discrimination "because of...sex" covers discrimination against someone because of their sexual orientation. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under President Barack Obama took the view that it does. But President Donald Trump's administration has argued that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bars discrimination based on gender but doesn't cover sexual orientation.

The businesses' court filing says they and their employees would benefit if the court agreed to take the case and rule that Title VII covers sexual orientation discrimination.

News Round-Up: August 18, 2017

Some news items you may have missed:

• Germany's Olympic javelin team (above) offers us a good reason to talk about the country without having to mention "nazis." Check out this one minute video from the hunky gentlemen from Germany.

• Two lawsuits in Northern Ireland challenging the current ban on marriage equality have been dismissed. The judge in both cases ruled the ban does not violate LGBT couples' rights.

• Apple is donating $2 million to anti-hate groups, the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

We’ve seen the terror of white supremacy & racist violence before. It's a moral issue - an affront to America. We must all stand against it

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 14, 2017

• On the same day, both the American Cancer Society and the Cleveland Clinic have canceled their planned gala events at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago venue. A local Chamber of Commerce official told the press, “The glitter, the shine has gone from the club and I can’t help but think there will be more fallout from it.”

• Openly gay former American Idol contestant Clay Aiken laments his past defense of Donald Trump:

Remember all those times I defended @realDonaldTrump and believed he was not actually racist? Well... I am a f*****g dumbass. #imsorry

— Clay Aiken (@clayaiken) August 15, 2017

• The Wrap is reporting Glenn Close is in advanced talks to star in a film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Sunset Boulevard. Close won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in 1994 and recently ended an enormously successful revival run on Broadway.

• Australian song bird Dannii Minogue dropped her new dance tune last week, "Holding On," and the title/lyrics couldn't be more appropriate for the times. Listen below:

News Round-Up: September 7, 2016

Robert Sepulveda Jr. of Logo TV's Finding Prince Charming

Some news stories you may have missed:

• Finding Prince Charming's Robert Sepulveda Jr. tells People.com he became a sex worker in his 20s because "he had no other choice." Btw - I have no problem with folks being sex workers. Just saying...

• Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence broke with his running mate Donald Trump saying he believes President Obama was born in Hawaii.

• North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory is trailing his Democratic challenger Attorney General Roy Cooper by an average of 3.6 points thanks to anti-LGBT "bathroom law" HB2.

• Playboy Playmate Dani Mathers faces up to six months in jail for taking a pic of a naked 70 year old woman at her gym in an attempt to "body shame" the woman. Good.

• With Democratic White House contender Hillary Clinton showing up at the back of her campaign plane to chat with reporters two days in a row, Repub Donald Trump is now rethinking his "blacklisting" of certain press outlets.

• Militia nutjob Ammon Bundy says he can't belly up to the legal bar without his cowboy boots.

• Apple's Twitter account jumped the gun on the iPhone 7 roll-out this morning as CEO Tim Cook was in the middle of introducing the new shiny new toy. Watch the quick recap video below for details.

Missed our big launch news? Here it is in 107 seconds. Don't blink. pic.twitter.com/zCdx8oDwgg

— Apple (@Apple) September 7, 2016

iPhone 7 Announcement Today - What To Expect

Apple will announce the latest iteration of the popular iPhone.

Among improvements expected are more storage, a new dual-lens camera, a more water resistant phone and the deletion of the headphone port.

So, who wants a new phone?

No headphone jack and a new shade of black: What to expect at Apple's iPhone event https://t.co/X8AS9pJ8Yv https://t.co/TT8qiCfr4R

— New Day (@NewDay) September 7, 2016

Apple Changes Direction Going Smaller With New iPhone & iPad Pro

Remember just a couple of years ago when "bigger" was the new trend in cell phones?

Put that in reverse because "smaller" is now the new "big."

This morning Apple announced two new products - the 4 inch iPhone SE and a 9.7 inch iPad Pro - which are both smaller editions of previous Apple toys.

Though the iPhone SE looks like the iPhone 5S, its internals have been completely overhauled to keep up with modern-day performance. The iPhone SE will be available in a 16GB ($399) version and 64GB ($499) version. It'll be available in over 110 countries by the end of May.

Apple also shared the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro during its press event in Cupertino today, which seems to boast many of the same specs as its 12.9-inch counterpart. The new tablet will be available March 31.

5 Predictions For Apple In 2016

We're big Apple geeks at my house. We have just about all the Apple toys you can get - except the Apple watch, which we can't seem to figure out the advantages of  :-/

No Christmas would be complete without new toys, and this year didn't disappoint. Michael gave me a new iPad Air and I gave Michael the new Apple TV.

I'll be curious to see how many of these predictions come true.

Speaking of toys - what was YOUR favorite gift from Christmas this year? Leave answers in the comment section below. I'm curious to see what you folks all go for :)

Taylor Swift Stands Up To Apple And Wins

(photo via Facebook)

The recently announced Apple Music service is looking to hook customers with a free three-month trial period WHICH Apple did not want to pay artists during.

Taylor Swift wasn't having any of that.

From Entertainment Weekly:

Taylor Swift took a stand against Apple this weekend when she wrote an open letter condemning the company for not paying artists during the free three-month trial of Apple Music. It sparked Apple to change its policy, and senior executive Eddy Cue announced that because of her letter, Apple would pay artists during that time.

Now, the Recording Academy is praising Swift for standing up to the tech titan. “We applaud Taylor Swift for taking a lead role in voicing the concerns of songwriters, artists, and producers regarding Apple Music’s launch, and we commend Apple for changing its policy,” President and CEO of the Recording Academy Neil Portnow said in a statement. “Once again, the creator’s voice prevailed – as it should. Taylor has demonstrated that when songwriters, artists and producers band together, they can achieve fairness for the creative community.”

Here's the content of Taylor's open letter to Apple:

To Apple, Love Taylor

I write this to explain why I’ll be holding back my album, 1989, from the new streaming service, Apple Music.

I feel this deserves an explanation because Apple has been and will continue to be one of my best partners in selling music and creating ways for me to connect with my fans.

I respect the company and the truly ingenious minds that have created a legacy based on innovation and pushing the right boundaries.

I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service.

I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.

This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows.

This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success.

This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt.

This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs.

“THESE ARE NOT THE COMPLAINTS OF A SPOILED, PETULANT CHILD. THESE ARE THE SENTIMENTS OF EVERY ARTIST, WRITER AND PRODUCER IN MY SOCIAL CIRCLES WHO ARE AFRAID TO SPEAK UP.”
These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child.

These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.

I realize that Apple is working towards a goal of paid streaming. I think that is beautiful progress.

We know how astronomically successful Apple has been and we know that this incredible company has the money to pay artists, writers and producers for the 3 month trial period… even if it is free for the fans trying it out.

Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done.

I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right.

But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this.

We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.

Taylor

Apple Announces "Apple Music" - Streaming Music Service

Apple announces it's new streaming music service which will launch on June 30, 2015.

Apple Music, meant to compete with existing music services like Spotify, is comprised primarily of three components:

• Stream millions of songs—and discover music you’ll love with handpicked playlists and recommendations from our experts.

• Listen to Beats 1, a 24/7 worldwide station broadcasting the best new music direct from Los Angeles, New York, and London that's anchored by world-class DJ Zane Lowe.

• Apple Music Connect gives you a direct line to your favorite artists; where they can share demos, remixes, lyrics, photos—really anything they wish—straight to the fan.

The service will be free for three months then be available at $9.99 a month (or $14.99 for a family plan that serves 6). Membership will connect to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC.

A free, limited version will be available.

Check the short intro video below. More info at Apple.com.

One Million Apple Watches Sold On The First Day

According to reports, Apple sold more than one million units of the newly minted Apple Watch on the first day it was available.

I was in an new Apple Store here in Las Vegas over the weekend, and the crowds around the Watches available to peruse was packed. Interestingly, the Apple Watch is not for sale in Apple Stores. You have to order it via their website, with shipping beginning on April 24th.

I'm not feeling the Watch. I don't wear a watch to begin with, and I'm not a big fan of lots of things on my person. I love tech toys, but I'm not getting the Watch.

Let me know if you plan on buying. I'm curious. Maybe I just don't get it?

HBO Teams Up With Apple For New Streaming Service

I grew up in a "television household." I can't imagine not having TV.

Over the years, friends have more and more told me "Oh, I don't watch that. I don't watch TV. I don't have a television."

I couldn't imagine that. Period.

But, with the internet becoming more and more a part of our lives in every facet, I can see it now.

The price of a full spectrum of cable or satellite TV stations costs close to $100 a month. And then we flip through channel after channel saying, "there's nothing on" because so much is crap.

Well, now, I can actually see life without cable subscriptions at this point. Most of what I make a point to watch is on HBO. And starting in April you can subscribe to HBO via internet for only $14.99 a month.

Via press release:

Apple will give viewers the ability to enjoy HBO programming via HBO NOW. Upon launch, customers can subscribe using the HBO NOW app on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, or directly on Apple TV for instant access. Users can purchase HBO NOW directly in-app for $14.99 a month. Upon registering, subscribers will also be able to watch at HBONOW.com. HBO will offer a 30 day introductory free trial period to new HBO NOW customers who sign up through Apple in April.

That's a deal. And if you sign up in April - you get a free month. I love free!

Plus, since you already have internet at that point, most networks offer the bulk of their shows online for free now. So even ABC or CBS TV series are available.

And if you want to watch all this on your TV, get an Apple TV unit (one-time purchase at $99 with cable), connect that baby up, and go! Widescreen wonderfulness.

Seriously, why do we need cable or satellite TV at this point?

Apple Goes Red For World AIDS Day 2014

In a sign of support for World AIDS Day (December 1st), Apple changed the logo of it's flagship Australian store in Sydney to red.

Via Mashable:

It is the first store in the world to light up in a show of commitment to the (RED) AIDS initiative, that is fighting for an AIDS-free future. Apple will then change the colour of its logo across key stores in Japan, Hong Kong, China, Europe and the United States, as the various timezones tick into Monday. Apple announced on Nov. 26 that the campaign also includes the ability to purchase 24 apps with exclusive (RED) content until Dec. 7; all proceeds go directly to The Global Fund to fight AIDS.

In addition, Apple has announced the company will donate a portion of all sales on Monday - which is one of the largest online shopping days of the year, Cyber Monday - to the AIDS initiative.

By the way, it's worth noting that this year Apple celebrates another 100% score on the HRC's Corporate Equality Index - the company's 13th in a row.

Proud to announce our largest-ever World AIDS Day campaign. Join us in the fight and help save lives. http://t.co/QzjaL8hExI #AppsforRED
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) November 24, 2014

(h/t JMG)

Sen. Ted Cruz: I Love My iPhone Even If CEO Tim Cook "Chooses" To Be Gay

Sen. Ted Cruz didn't miss his chance to say that he "loves his iPhone" even though Apple CEO Tim Cook has "chosen" to live a gay lifestyle.

Via Advocate:

During an interview with CNBC, Cruz was asked about the Bloomberg Businessweek story in which Cook addressed his sexual orientation publicly for the first time.

"Those are his personal choices. I’ll tell you, I love my iPhone," Cruz said according to The Hill. He added, "Listen, Tim Cook makes his personal decisions, and that is his life. My focus is on the constitutional question of who has the authority to make decisions."

It's worth noting that Sen. Cruz is the coauthor of the State Marriage Defense Act, which would stop the federal government from invalidating state laws on marriage.

Alabama: Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls Out His Home State On LGBT Rights

Speaking at the Alabama Academy of Honor induction, in front of Governor Robert Bentley, Apple CEO Tim Cook (who has never publicly come out) addressed LGBT rights in his home state:

“I could never understand why some within our state and nation resisted basic principles of human dignity that were so opposite to the values I had learned growing up in Robertsdale, Alabama in a family that was rich in love and respect.”

“We were too slow on equality on African-Americans. We were too slow on interracial marriage. And we are still too slow on equality for the LBGT community.”

Everything You Need To Know About The New iPad