Google pulls ‘Is My Son Gay’ app

Google’s Android Market pulled a controversial app for their smartphones this week which purported to help mothers determine if their sons were gay.

The Is My Son Gay? app was released last week, immediately causing controversy on Twitter and much discussion on television news programs internationally.

“After this test, you’ll have the proven answer to a question you might have since maybe a long time,” read the app’s description.

It consisted of 20 questions including “Does your son dress well?”, “Is his best friend a girl?” and “Does he enjoy team sports?” to which the app would eventually respond with either a “gay”, “normal and modern” or “not gay” rating..

Christophe de Baran, the French designer of the application who is openly gay, told online French magazine RUE89 that the application had been “designed with a playful approach”.

“It is not based on any scientific approach. It assumes that certain behaviours, certain social contexts and family can sometimes be critical or indicative of homosexuality hidden, or not,” he said.

“The questions I would ask are: what would it matter whether a mother wants her son is gay? What would it be serious he is? If the answer is no, then this application should not disturb. And yet … the sole purpose is to dramatize the situation and to help mothers accept their son’s homosexuality.”