Over the weekend a disturbing homophobic response to a gay father’s birthday invite went viral on the Internet. It has been determined, however, that the invitation to attend a birthday celebration of the child, who has gay parents, is a phony.

The mother’s alleged response to having her child attend the birthday party was outrageous, many thought, but their ire would soon be redirected. Apparently, it was all just a scam set up by a local New York radio station.

Early in the week, Long Island's K-98.3 publicized a proportedly prejudiced note from the mother of a boy invited to their daughter's birthday party in Baldwin, N.Y. The note read: "Tommy will NOT attend. I do not believe in what you do and will not subject my innocent son to your 'lifestyle.' I'm sorry Sophia has to grow up this way. If you have an issue or need to speak to me: [number erased]."

The message was posted to the radio station’s page, where many readers showed their support for the parents and their distain for the mother who wrote the note. But the anger readers originally spewed towards the "mother" was soon fired at Steve Harper and his "Morning Show" co-host, Leeana, after they admitted the invite was a fraud. They posted an apology note on the station's website Friday.

"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 wrote. "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,'" they concluded. "We deeply apologize for violating your trust, and we will work hard to regain that trust."

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