The woman who alleged that a note saying her garden was ‘relentlessly’ gay is to return money to the donor after hoax suspicions were raised.
Julie Baker from Baltimore has said that she is to return the $43,000 she raised through a crowd funder site. She has been accused of hoaxing the letter.
In June Ms Baker received wide media attention when a note reportedly told her to tone down her relentless gay garden. The artist created a gofundme page in order to make her garden even more colourful. Within days the fundraiser had smashed the $5,000 target.
On her funding page Baker wrote,
“I opened my door, and found a note from my neighbor. Regarding a set of rainbow jar solar lights hanging in my yard that spell out “Love” and “Ohana”. They informed me that the neighborhood is “christian” and has “children” and asked me to stop being “relentlessly gay”….
Within days of opening the account, Baker had raised over $43,000. She initially asked for $5,000 to make her garden even more colourful.
Snopes, the website that uncovers hoaxes and myths investigated the claims of Ms Baker and the authenticity of the note. They contacted the police who told them that Ms Baker had been either unwilling or unable to produce the alleged note and had told them that it was no longer in her possession.
Despite the incredible amount of money raised, Baker’s garden has reportedly remained unchanged and no more decorations had been bought.
On the 18th August, a message posted on theRelentlessly Gay crowd funder page appeared which suggested that she would be returning all the donations she received.
She cited that “taxes and an overabundance of resources it is with a saddened heart that all donations will be returned. If a time machine were available, it would have all ended at the original requested amount.”