Mom's Anti-Gay Rejection of Kid's Birthday Invite a Hoax

The Internet burned up last week when a nasty note from a purportedly homophobic mom telling gay parents that her child would not be attending their kid’s birthday party went viral. But now it has been revealed that it was all just a joke, a stunt perpetrated by a New York radio show.

The anti-gay note was written on a party invitation supposedly sent back by a mom upset that gay parents would dare ask her child to a birthday party. “I do not believe in what you do,” was scrawled on the front of the child’s invitation, while on the back the rant continued, telling the gay parents that the mom does not want her “innocent son” exposed to their “lifestyle.”

The story went viral with gays across the nation using social media sites to triumphantly note that America is a homophobic nation and this story proves it.

Some in the media fell for the story hook, line, and sinker. Huffington Post, for instance, called the incident “horrifying.” And websites like Jezebel, Queerty, and others instantly jumped on the story, as well.

But now it has been revealed that the story was a hoax made up by an FM radio morning zoo crew in New York.

In a post to their station blog, K 98.3’s Steve and Leeana admitted that they made the whole thing up.

“On Wednesday, we told you the story of Sophia’s birthday party, and one parent’s objection to the same-sex household of Sophia’s parents” the radio DJs wrote. “We also posted the invitation on our Facebook page, and invited comments from our followers.”

“This story was, in fact, totally fictitious, and created by the two of us. This was done without the knowledge of K-98.3 management or ownership,” they admitted.

Their excuse was a lame one: “We were attempting to spur a healthy discourse on a highly passionate topic, but we made a mistake by misleading our listeners into thinking that this specific situation actually existed.”

“We are very sorry that we perpetuated this falsehood, even after it was clear that it had taken on a ‘life of its own.’ We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust.”

This isn’t the only recent anti-gay hoax. Only a few months ago, another such hoax was perpetrated by a gay waitress in New Jersey who claimed that a patron left a nasty note on a receipt telling her they wouldn’t tip her because she was gay. It later came to light that the waitress, Dayna Morales, made the story up.