Are Tennessee Schools Including “Gay-to-Straight” Programs?

A report this week claims that Tennessee schools have implemented a program designed to help gay students become straight. Is this real or fake?

The story is satire.

The report comes from the “satirical” website National Report. In the fake article, we read:

Beginning May 1st of this year, the state of Tennessee is implementing a mandatory school program designed for all children grades K-12 to help homosexual males and females choose to become straight. The gay-to-straight conversion therapy treatment will be used in all of Tennessee’s 1,693 public school curriculum and is already gathering a large amount of support as well as those who disapprove of the new program.

The fake story has received significant sharing on social media, often by readers unaware of the satirical nature of the website. National Report published a nearly identical story in August 2013, stating that Arizona had passed such a mandate.

The article was perhaps inspired by the real report of a bill in Tennessee which has been criticized as a way to allow bullying of LGBT students in the name of religious freedom.

About National Report

National Report has a disclaimer which clearly states that the website produces satirical content. The disclaimer – which has been removed on at least one occasion – reads:

*DISCLAIMER: National Report is a news and political satire web publication, which may or may not use real names, often in semi-real or mostly fictitious ways. All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental . The views expressed by writers on this site are theirs alone and are not reflective of the fine journalistic and editorial integrity of National Report. Advice given is NOT to be construed as professional. If you are in need of professional help (and you may be if you are on this page), please consult a professional. National Report is intended for a mature audience and not for children under the age of 18.

Bottom Line

Tennessee schools have not implemented a gay-to-straight program. The report comes from the fake news/satirical website National Report.

Source: Gay-To-Straight Program To Be Included In All Tennessee School Curriculum Beginning May 1st (National Report)