One man claimed an app on his iPhone turned him gay against his will after they offered him LGBT+ themed tokens, and took the company to court to try and plead his case
The app supposedly caused the man ‘moral suffering’ (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
A man tried to sue Apple after claiming his iPhone ‘turned him gay’ and causing supposed mental distress.
The man, known only as D. Razumilov, first filed his lawsuit for “moral suffering and harm to mental health” in 2019. He claimed his iPhone tricked him into downloading an app that changed his sexuality and made him gay without his consent. He said he became “mired in same-sex relationships” after getting involved in a cryptocurrency app. The app in question gave out so-called “GayCoins.”
At the time, Razumilov sought out a whopping one million rubles (£12,459) in damages, the Moscow Times reported. Now, it is thought Razumilov did not receive the money he had been hoping for, with experts saying homosexuality is not a choice, especially not one made by Apple products.
The man claimed the app ‘turned him gay’ (stock)(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In the initial complaint published on Wednesday, Razumilov says he received 69 GayCoins on a cryptocurrency payment app he downloaded onto his iPhone in 2017. The unknown sender of the coins reportedly wrote a message in English for Razumilov which he interpreted as “don’t judge without trying”.
Razumilov said in his complaint: “I thought, indeed, how can I judge something without trying it?” From this notion, he started having same-sex relationships, something which he says he never tried before.
“I can say after the passage of two months that I’m mired in intimacy with a member of my own sex and can’t get out. I have a steady boyfriend and I don’t know how to explain it to my parents.”
He said his “life has changed for the worse and will never be normal again” following the gift of the “GayCoins.” The man put forward the case and has accused Apple of “manipulatively pushing [him] toward homosexuality”, which he says has caused him “moral suffering and harm to mental health”.
The man tried to sue Apple (stock)(Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
The Daily Star reached out to a psychologist and asked whether Razumilov’s claims could be considered true. In terms of apps affecting a person’s sexuality, they were not convinced.
Danny Zane, Therapist at North London Therapy, said: “As far as I know, there is no scientific evidence that claims an app can change someone’s sexuality. Sexuality is understood to be a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors, often established before adulthood and resistant to change through external influences.
“Research indicates that sexual orientation is likely influenced by a combination of genetics, hormonal influences during prenatal development, and environmental factors, but it is not something that can be altered by an app or any external device.”
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