Google Removes Gay ‘Conversion Therapy’ App Following Outcry

Google has removed an app from the Google Play store which encouraged gay people to go through “conversion therapy,” following complaints from LGBT groups. Google still hasn’t removed an app which allows users to report “heresy” to Indonesia’s strict Muslim government, however, nor has the company removed a Saudi Arabian app which allows men to track women and limit their movement.

According to Business Insider, Google removed an app called “Living Hope Ministries” after it “encouraged LGBTQ people to seek conversion therapy.”

“The tech giant came under intense pressure to delete the app from the Google Play store, with a petition calling for its removal receiving more than 140,000 signatures,” Business Insider reported, adding that the company “consulted with outside advocacy groups before acting.”

In a statement, a spokesman for Google claimed that the company removed the app “after consulting with outside advocacy groups, reviewing our policies, and making sure we had a thorough understanding of the app and its relation to conversion therapy.”

As of writing, the petition to get the app removed has over 142,000 signatures, and the Human Rights Campaign congratulated Google for removing the app.

BREAKING: @Axios' @inafried reports Google has pulled down the dangerous so-called "conversion therapy app."

We applaud @Google for making the right decision to pull this from their online store, an important step to protect LGBTQ youth. (tip @Techmeme) https://t.co/rN2J0dubaT

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) March 29, 2019

Google has still yet to remove an Indonesian app which allows users to report “heresy” to the strict Muslim government, however, and has also not removed a Saudi Arabian app which allows men to track and limit women’s movements.

The Indonesian app, Smart Pakem, made news headlines last year, yet the app is still available on the Google Play store.

The Saudi Arabian app, Absher, was reported on in February, and is also still available, despite calls from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) for Google to remove the app.

Last year, LGBT apps were pulled from the Google Play store in Indonesia amid persecution against LGBT people in the country.