New York lawmaker to Google: Remove conversion therapy app from Play Store

A New York lawmaker is demanding that Google remove an app that promotes gay conversion therapy from its Google Play Store.

State Senator Brad Hoylman, who sponsored a bill banning such therapy in New York that was signed into law this month, blasted the tech giant for allowing the Living Hope Ministries app.

“Google [is] planning to have about 7,000 employees in our Senate district, so I would urge them to remove the app post-haste,” he told The Verge in a statement. “I’m hopeful that they’ll see the harm that this kind of message sends to the kids and families.”

New York is the fifteenth state to ban so-called conversion therapy, the Advocate reports. The practice, which is opposed by most mainstream medical organizations, claims that individuals have the ability to change their sexual orientation.

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Apple removed the app in December after receiving pushback from LGBT groups and others, according to the Advocate, which notes that Microsoft also appears to have taken the app down.

According to The Verge, the app provides users with recordings of sermons and text devotionals; there’s also a section for “help,” reportedly contains stories telling gay and lesbian readers that their sexuality can be ignored or changed.

“I think Google should do the right thing and remove this app from their store immediately,” Hoylman told The Verge.

A Change.org petition demanding that Google remove the app has received just under 50,000 signatures as of Wednesday morning.

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Living Hope Ministries is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization with a mission of proclaiming "God's truth as we journey with those who are seeking sexual and relational wholeness," according to its website.

Fox News reached out to Google with a request for comment and will update this story as needed.