An iPhone app which calls on users to sign up to a declaration against gay rights and gay marriage has sparked controversy.
The app is based on the Manhattan Declaration, a manifesto released in 2009 by Christian and Catholic leaders which rails against the “erosion” of marriage.
Apple has given the app a 4+ rating, meaning that it contains “no objectionable content”.
The app asks users whether they agree with four statements on abortion and same-sex marriage and those who answer that they are pro-choice and pro-gay marriage are told that they are incorrect.
Download the app and the Manhattan Declaration's so-called "survey" will invite you to answer questions like: Do you believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman? And, Do you support the right of choice regarding abortion?
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Once you answer the four questions a screen pops up and you learn that "survey" is actually not a "survey," but a "test." If you answer the questions the way pro-choice, pro-equality folks do, you'll be rewarded with this screen: "SURVEY COMPLETE! 0%, You answered 0 out of 4 questions correct.
Bloggers have fired back at Apple--and the app's creators.
The app fosters "homophobia and extreme anti-choice views," writes Change.org, which blasts the principles spelled out in the declaration for "[boiling] LGBT people down to little more than deviant cretins." PinkNews calls the app "anti-gay." One website created a petition asking Apple to remove the app.
The creators of the Manhattan Declaration responded to the "radical liberals" with its own blog post, saying, "These radicals often pollute the debate with ranting. They rant about 'equal rights,' without explaining how homosexuality deserves it, 'women's rights,' without explaining how women have a right to kill their child, and even 'hateful Christians,' without showing instances where we hate."
