A man from Russia believes that using a third-party iPhone app "manipulated" him to dabble with homosexuality and, now, he's suing Apple for "moral harm."
Man Claims iPhone App Turned Him Gay
According to the claimant, who was only referred to as D Razumilov in a copy of the complaint obtained by the press, he felt compelled to get a boyfriend after he had received a cryptocurrency called GayCoin, rather than the Bitcoin he ordered, through an unidentified smartphone payment app last summer.
The cryptocurrency, the claimant recounted, arrived with a note. "Don't judge until you try," it said.
In the complaint, Razumilov wrote that he followed the advice. Since then, his life has been changed "for the worse" and "will never become normal again."
"I thought, in truth, how can I judge something without trying?" the claimant stated. "I decided to try same-sex relationships."
He added that he now has a boyfriend, but he does not know how to tell his parents about the relationship.
Razumilov is asking for 1,000,000 rubles or about $15,000 from the trillion-dollar tech company.
"Apple pushed me towards homosexuality through manipulation," he explained. "The changes have caused me moral and mental harm."
Razumilov's lawyer, Sapizhat Gusnieva, insisted that the lawsuit is serious and her client has been scared and has suffered throughout the ordeal. She explained that the Cupertino-base company should take responsibility for its programs even if the exchange happened on a third-party app.
Apple's representatives in Russia has not issued a comment regarding the lawsuit. The court is set to hear the complaint on Monday, Oct. 7.
Homophobia Persists In Russia
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in 1993. Until today, homophobia is still widespread across the country.
In 2013, legislation banning the dissemination of "gay propaganda" was passed. Any "promotion of non-traditional lifestyles to minors" are not permitted which, in effect, also prohibited LGBT activism.
Last year, a prominent LGBT rights campaigner was found dead with multiple stab wounds near her home in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
In 2018, at least 25 activists were detained by the police after staging a rally to demand that the rights of sexual minorities be protected.
