Google Pulls Malaysia's Gay Conversion App

Google has pulled an app promising to help LGBTQ people "return to nature" from the Malaysian government from its Google Play Store, reported The Guardian.

First released July 2016, the app garnered attention after it was shared on Twitter by the Malaysian government's Islamic Development Department. With its claims of curing gays and restoring their purity, the app included an e-book about a gay man who was able to abandon gay behavior for Ramadan.

In a statement about the app, Google said it investigates whenever an app is flagged to have violated the company's terms and policies. "If violations are found we take appropriate action to maintain a trusted experience for all," the company said.

Malaysia has "laws that ban same-sex relations and non-normative gender expression," the Guardian noted, putting anyone who dares to be out and LGBTQ+ in a dangerous position. Rachel Chhoa-Howard, Amnesty International's Malaysia researcher said that such apps are "dangerous and hateful," the article added.

"Conversion therapy is a deeply discriminatory and harmful practice which can cause long-lasting damage to those who are subject to it," she told the Guardian. "We call on the Malaysian authorities to immediately abandon its use of Hijrah Dirim and instead ensure respect and protect LGBTI rights in the country."

Previously, Google removed an app from U.S.-based group Living Hope Ministries that suggested that users could "pray away the gay".

Let us all pray Google continues to recognize the danger behind such apps and remove them.