Google Heavily Criticized For Its 'Is My Son Gay?' App For Android
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's true, there's an app for even that.
A new smart phone program promises to help parents determine their son's sexuality in a modified version of "20 questions."
On Tuesday night, CBS 2's Sean Hennessey took the app controversy to the experts, and you.
Does your son like musical comedies, Madonna, or football? Those are just some of the questions posed in a controversial app aimed at mothers who want to know, "Is my son gay?"
"It's not good," said Queens resident Joanne Wilson. "No, I wouldn't be a fan of it."
Few moms Hennessey spoke to are fans of the new app, sold in Google's Android market, which asks a mother 20 questions including: Does their son dress well? Is his best friend a girl? Are you divorced? Depending on the answers, the program may tell you not to look the other way because your son is gay, so accept him.
Eliza Byard, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Educational Network, called the app ridiculous and horrifying.
"The questions in this app are horrendous stereotypes that would be completely laughable if they weren't so dangerous," Byard said.
"The implication, one, is that there is one way to be if you're gay and, two, that there's sort of blame to attach to parents."
And psychologist Alan Hilfer said the app will never replace a heart-to-heart talk.
"It implies that you're kind of going behind someone's back to discover things about them," Dr. Hilfer said.
The French developer says the app is a non-scientific yet a humorous approach towards helping moms accept their son's homosexuality.
"Instead of having a machine to tell you what's happening in your son's life, talk to your son," one woman said.
Talk instead of technology to get to the truth.
Hennessey called and e-mailed Google to see what kind of vetting is done when it comes to selling controversial apps, but the company never responded with a comment.
Are you offended by this app? Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below.
