The National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) has labeled Apple CEO Steve Jobs “Big Brother” after the
company removed an anti-gay marriage app from its iTunes store.
“What's happened over the years is
the iconic Steve Jobs has become the ironic Steve Jobs,” a male
announcer says in a one-minute-thirty-five-second video released by
the group on Monday. “Tell Big Brother you won't be silenced.”
(The video is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
The video protests Apple's decision to
remove a mobile version of the Manhattan Declaration from its iTunes
store because “it violates our developer guidelines by being
offensive to large groups of people.”
The free app included the 4,7000 word
document unveiled last year in New York by religious leaders opposed
to gay marriage. Users of the app were asked to electronically sign
the declaration.
“What's offensive is the action of
Steve Jobs,” NOM said in a post on its website. “Jobs allows
applications in support of gay marriage and abortion. Planned
Parenthood has an app, so do several gay marriage groups. There's an
app to sign petitions to repeal Proposition 8 in California. And
there is even an app coming to allow gay marriage backers to 'report'
priests and pastors who preach about the sanctity of marriage!”
“NOM is not going to be bullied as
Jobs and Apple insult Christians and the majority of Americans who
support marriage as the union of men and women. This is the latest
attempt by technology billionaires to marginalize and isolate
marriage supporters, attempting to drive us from the public square.”
The app was deleted from the digital
store after more than 7,000 people signed a Change.org petition
urging the company to remove it. Among the chief complaints was the
app's inclusion of a four-question survey. One question asked, “Do
you support same-sex relationships?” Users who answered “yes”
were told that they had replied incorrectly.
The
group behind the app has since resubmitted a modified version of the
app that nixes the quiz.