Hoylman Demands Google Remove Gay Conversion Therapy App Following State Ban on Practice

141,806 people have called on Google to remove the app on Change.org

Google refuses to remove the app despite numerous requests from Senator Hoylman

Conversion therapy is now illegal in the state of New York after Senator Hoylman’s bill to ban the practice was signed into law by Governor Cuomo in January

Google’s refusal to remove the app has cost them their endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign’s 2019 Corporate Equality Index

NEW YORK- Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan), the only openly LGBTQ member of the New York State Senate, released the following statement demanding Google remove the Living Home Ministries gay conversion app from their app store:

Senator Hoylman said: "So-called LGBTQ conversion therapy is child abuse. That is true in person, and it is true online. By allowing people to readily access an application that openly promotes being gay as a ‘sickness,’ Google is enabling this dangerous and fraudulent practice.

I have personally reached out to Google and asked them to remove the Living Home Ministries app numerous times. So far, my pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Google’s inaction is deeply hurtful, and makes no sense. Conversion therapy is now banned in the state of New York. Amazon and Apple have already removed this app from their stores.

Google’s egregious inaction has cost them their place on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2019 Corporate Equality Index. If they truly value tolerance, equity, and diversity in the workplace, now is the time to prove it. Every day that a conversion therapy app is available on a Google device is another day we expose LGBTQ children to the harmful message that they are imperfect. We cannot allow this to continue one day longer. New York is watching, and so is the broader LGBTQ community.”

Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out said:  "Every moment that Google keeps this app available online, LGBT youth will remain at risk for psychological abuse and trauma," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "Over 140,000 people have spoken out and demanded that this dangerous app be deleted. It is confounding why Google isn't listening and continues providing a platform for a product so contrary to its image of inclusion and diversity."     

Apple and Amazon pulled the Living Home Ministries application from their respective platforms in 2018, following public outcry. Senator Hoylman called on Google to remove the application in a January 28 interview with The Verge, but no action was taken. Google’s New York City headquarters are located in Chelsea, Manhattan within Senator Hoylman’s district. They are planning to add an additional 7,000 jobs. Conversion therapy is now illegal in the state of New York following the legislature’s vote to ban the practice in January.

With Senator Hoylman’s bill signed into law, mental health professionals are now prohibited from engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with patients under the age of 18. Those who engage in sexual orientation change efforts with minors can now be charged with professional misconduct, giving the State Education Department the ability to suspend or revoke a professional’s license to practice or fine them up to $10,000.

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