It seems a Baltimore woman who recently started a fundraiser to make her home more "relentlessly gay" -- a challenge her homophobic neighbors -- might never have received the letter that sparked the campaign, which reportedly asked her to remove rainbow decorations from her front yard because they were offensive.
Online "myth-busters" became skeptical of Julie Baker's GoFundMe campaign after she raised more than $43,000, significantly more than the $5,000 she initially requested to make her house appear even more LGBTQ-friendly. Baker had reported that she received an anonymous note from one of her neighbors telling her to "tone it down" with the rainbow decorations lest someone contact the police. The website Snopes, however, uncovered a number of discrepancies that would indicate the note may not have been authentic, and that maybe Baker was running a scam:
Baker stated that she had engaged in a “productive beneficial conversation with the police [and] they were satisfied” but cautioned us that she would “appreciate the officer not being harassed, they have bad guys to deal with, not filling internet pages.” She added: ” … treating a victim like a sideshow attraction is cruel and dangerous and feeds sociopaths … please also understand that I am not under investigation.”
On 24 June 2015 we spoke to a detective at Baker’s local precinct, to whom we were referred by individuals connected with the Relentlessly Gay campaign. Although Baker had stated the previous day that police were “satisfied” with her claim, the detective to whom we spoke said that Baker was either unwilling or unable to produce the letter in question, and that she had maintained it was no longer in her possession. The detective also indicated that he had attempted to meet with Baker in person the previous day but was unable to do so.
Baker claims she will not remove any of the money from the GoFundMe account until she can verify the letter, though it's unclear when or how that will happen.
(h/t Raw Story)
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