--- title: "A Russian Man Is Suing Apple for “Turning Him Gay”" description: "In what's perhaps one of the most frivolous lawsuits in recent memory, a Russian man is suing Apple for having his iPhone drive him to homosexuality." date: "2019-10-02" modified: "2019-10-02" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/russian-apple-iphone-turning-gay-lawsuit" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "apple" - "iphones" - "lgbtq" - "Russia" - "the digest" --- # A Russian Man Is Suing Apple for “Turning Him Gay” ![In what's perhaps one of the most frivolous lawsuits in recent memory, a Russian man is suing Apple for having his iPhone drive him to homosexuality.]() *\Image: Apple/Victor Tangermann\* ## Try Hard In what's perhaps one of the most frivolous lawsuits in recent memory, a Russian man says his iPhone drove him to homosexuality — and he's suing Apple, the [*Moscow Times* reports](). The plaintiff told a local radio station that he became "mired in same-sex relationships" earlier this year after "receiving 69 GayCoins on a cryptocurrency payment app he downloaded onto his iPhone in 2017," according to the *Moscow Times*. Needless to say, that's ridiculous — trying out a same-sex relationship [can't turn you gay]() — but that didn't stop the man from suing. "I thought, indeed, how can I judge something without trying it?" the plaintiff wrote in a complaint [published by the station](). "And decided to try same-sex relationships." ## Going Steady Now, the man has regrets. "I have a steady boyfriend and I don’t know how to explain it to my parents," read the complaint. "After receiving the aforementioned message, my life has changed for the worse and will never be normal again.” ## Gay Propaganda Needless to say, it's not a good time to be part of the LGBTQ community in Russia. In 2013, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed into law a devastating "gay propaganda" bill that has led to threats, bullying, abuse, and discrimination, [according to Human Rights Watch](). The bill was met with major international backlash from all over the world. The plaintiff is asking for more than $15,000 in damages, or roughly a million rubles, from Apple. **READ MORE:** [Russian iPhone User Sues Apple for Turning Him Gay]() \[*Moscow Times*\] **More on LGBTQ rights:** *[LGBTQ YouTubers File Suit Over Discrimination]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()