When Julie Baker, a widow and mother of four from Baltimore, recently stepped out onto her front porch, she found an anonymous note taped to her door.
“Your yard is becoming Relentlessly Gay!” the note read. “Myself and others in the neighborhood ask that you Tone It Down. This is a Christian area and there are Children. Keep it up and I will be Forced to call the Police on you! Your kind need to have Respect for GOD.”
It was signed, “A Concerned Home Owner.”
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The note referred to a set of rainbow-colored solar yard lamps Baker had set up in her garden. For the record, they aren’t illegal, so we’re not sure what this concerned home owner expects police to do about it.
Rather than get angry, Baker took a page from Memories Pizza’s playbook and launched a GoFundMe page to fight back.
“I need more rainbows,” she writes. “Many, many more rainbows. So I am starting this fundraiser so I can work to make my home even more ‘relentlessly gay.'”
Baker says she wants to combat her neighbor’s homophobia “with whimsy and beauty and laughter and love, wrapped around my home, yard and family!”
“If we go high enough,” she says, “I will see if I can get a rainbow roof! Because my invisible relentlessly gay rainbow dragon should live up there in style!”
She set a fundraising goal of $5,000. So far, she’s raised more than $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 and counting. That’s gonna buy a shit-ton of rainbows.
Related: Gay Couple Puts A Homophobic Vandal In His Place With This Hilarious Note
Chris L. Reynolds
Relentlessly “Gay” ?patio lights? Did they send out the new “How to be Gay and Harass your Neighborhood “Manuel,and I didn’t get a copy in the mail? WTF,I’d better get busy!
Bauhaus
I have a feeling the brick exterior is gonna get a colorful paint job. Need volunteers?
Alexis Barros
And what exactly does she plan on spending $15,000.00 on?! Didn’t know decorations were that expensive. Sounds to me like someone used a GoFund me page to sucker other suckers out of money for a bullshit “cause”.
Glücklich
And W-H-E-R-E is this happening?
StephK
I see no state nor a city where this was purported to happen, and yet I see a solicitation for money. Doesn’t pass the smell test for me. Just saying…
fagburn
Hope this isn’t yet another gold-digging hoax…
Giancarlo85
@Alexis Barros: She is taking a stand against homophobia. I didn’t realize that was a bullshit cause.
jwtraveler
One should always be suspicious of solicitations for money. This very well could be a scam.
On the other hand, there is no limit to the insanity of the Christolunatics when it comes to paranoia and pathological homophobia. Leave it to them to worry that colored lights are a threat to their children.
onthemark
@Bauhaus: Eek. You should NEVER paint brick! You might as well put up aluminum siding! Are you sure you’re gay???
Michael Machado
Hey Alexis , the pizza refusers got 900 thousand!
Gay is money now!!
DarkZephyr
@Alexis Barros: You are overdosing on cynicism.
DarkZephyr
@StephK: Baltimore. Several other articles say that she lives in Baltimore.
DarkZephyr
@onthemark: https://www.pinterest.com/laurindamoody/painted-brick-houses/
Bauhaus
@onthemark:
She wants a rainbow roof! I was thinking about the rainbow painted house in the Westboro Baptist neighborhood, but perhaps you have a point. Oh, I was very gay today [mmm], nothing like an early morning fuck (my favorite time); so yeah, I’m pretty sure.
Robert Paige
I dont think a gofundme page was nessacaery for this but whatever now fays everyone is doing the gofundme page’s when im sure alot dont need it im on the kidney transplant list all my medicine and doctors are paid out of my own pocket if I cant afford it I don’t get it and my insurance is worthless like tits on a boar hog but yet I still dont ask for hand outs id like to but wont because its not right
onthemark
@DarkZephyr: Make it pink flamingos, then. Although since it’s Baltimore I guess there’s little risk of hurting the resale value by painting the brick. 🙂
Glücklich
Finally read comments on GoFundMe and won’t speculate on ulterior motives, if any.
Subject house is apparently in/near Baltimore, MD. But silly me for thinking that should have been included in the above post.
T
@Alexis Barros: She DID ask for the money to buy more rainbow decorations. I’m guessing people who agree with her are the ones who sent in the money.
Glücklich
@Bauhaus:
Early morning fuck beats my 0-dark-hundred flight to Toronto.
Masc Pride
@StephK: It does seem a little off. Especially $5,000? Paint isn’t that expensive. Plus, I’m sure a widowed mother of four has better things to do with $16,000 than to blow it all trying to piss off her controlling neighbors.
JessPH
She should erect a statue of LIZA MINELLI. Nothing could possibly get any gayer than that.
Tony Lee Churchill
corey
$21,667 of $5,000
Raised by 1,566 people in 1 day
Alifo Nikolas
http://teespring.com/relentlesslyGay-t-shirt#pid=6&cid=656&sid=front
enfilmigult
Is that a picture of the lights? They’re really pretty beautiful, I want some now.
billeetee
“Relentlessly gay”? Reminds me of the time some Televangelist (can’t remember for sure now just which one, they’re all alike) took issue with the “devout homosexuals of Rutgers”. Of course the end result of that was a Major Surge in the application list. But…’relentlessly gay”…that’s a new one. How does one go about being a ‘relentless gay person’? Anyone offering any theories?
angiepangie
Awesome. She asked for $5,000 and raised way more. Who cares? Im sure this mother wasn’t Expecting this,and if she uses the money for other things once shes done decorating who cares!? I really hope we get to see pics of what she does ????
nature boy
@JessPH: ROTFL, thank you !!!
captainburrito
She needs a rainbow version of the batman floodlight.
BlueDude
Of all the homophobic confused “thoughts” behind stupidity, this neighbor’s is one of the worst! I do hope the widow uses the donations for some good, and not just to irritate the kookoo neighbor.
@Robert Paige: Robert, I’m truly very sorry to read of your predicament, but have you exhausted inquiries into public resources for cases such as yours? Surely, there must be some govt agency that can assist you!
traci
How about we all make a donation to the local lgbtq shelter, in honor of Julie Baker, because you know, $16,000 is enough for our righteous indignation and Made in China plastic junk.
Scott Mellon
Didn’t God make rainbows?
dsteinmetz
As a Christian I really hope this isn’t true. If be offended if a it came to telling someone rainbows are “too gay.” Or something so dumb. Even if she is gay who cares?????? Rainbows are just colorful. God puts one in the sky after a storm. Does that make God gay??
nature boy
@Robert Paige: some of the comments on the gofundme page are people complaining that their friends who ARE trying to raise money for serious illness can not even raise $9k but this page is already up to $27k for frivolity. The reality is that fundraising demands an engaging emotional marketing message no matter what the actual subject may be. In this case she’s using whimsy and humor to raise money around a very serious situation of neighborhood homophobia. My point is, if you do decide to try and raise some money to help yourself, I think you’ll have greater success if you use humor to raise money for “help me get my last gay kidney” …. and mention your rainbow dragon… you’ve got to push it beyond the serious facts to get people interested. Others are questioning if this is real or made up… I decided I didn’t really care since I found the entertainment value of the whole thing worthy of a couple of dollars, and I was entertained enough to make a very small donation myself. It also gave me a sense of payback for the anti-gay pizza millionaires, which of course is totally unrelated. Human behavior is not always logical and successful fundraising very much plays into that.
Sue Briesch
What is wrong with people.?? This is “her” yard and her art. Hello !!! can we not be creative anymore??? I personally hate the “christian” card being pulled.
WhiskyJazzMan
The neighbor talks about “respect” and then referrers to a group as “you people.” Then she wants to call the cops on a yard decoration……
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/idjut.gif
nature boy
@Masc Pride: oh gosh, now the more I think about it, the more I want a statue of Liza Minelli in my front yard. Maybe it could look a little bit like a Bathtub Madonna ? Somebody please make this !!!
nature boy
@Masc Pride: sorry that was meant to be @jessPH. And here’s a second t-shirt. People sure are quick to glom onto a successful social media venture http://teespring.com/relentlesslygay1
nature boy
Ok here’s mine http://teespring.com/relentlesslygayLiza
nature boy
second attempt http://teespring.com/relentlessly-gay-liza-2
Rochelle Flores
I would take the $ and donate it in the neighborhoods name to a lgbt support group.
Nikky Winchester
And now… the Relentlessly Gay Garden song…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQsXGZo9k-4
TheBigOne
I think that people who leave anonymous notes are nothing more than chickenchit a-list a-holes. If they’re really that “concerned” they should grow a pair and talk to a person, instead of performing the cowardly act of an anonymous note.
Neshama
Talk about ridiculous, childish, and ignorant. A note? *rolls eyes*
stedman
I wonder if God will change the colors of the rainbow whenever rain gets hit by light because some fanatics here think that colors are now owned by sexual orientations.
Signed,
A heterosexual christian.
DawnMarie
@Alexis Barros: She set it for 5k can’t help if more people help her out. She wanted to paint her roof. So theres nothing wrong with this.
WWP
Perhaps I’m a cynic, but I’m thinking someone wanted some cash to fix up their yard and what better way than a persecution note styled to get media attention followed by a gofundmepage. We all know crap like this happens, I just don’t think it happened here.
bbechs
It was in Baltimore – right outside of Towson. Here is a copy of the letter left. http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/relentlessly-gay-garden-fundraiser/?fb=dd
Nyooni
@Alexis Barros: That is indeed a good question. One that she’s probably also pondering right now, seeing that she didn’t ask for 15k, only 5k 😛
lotophagi
Julie has many helping her raise money to support many things. Some of those fundraisers involve t-shirts. Here’s my spin on a the relentlessly gay design. I have also produce a relentlessly gay ally design. The proceeds from the sales will be donated to The GLBT Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland.
#relentlesslygay
http://www.spreadshirt.com/relentlessly-gay-t-shirts-C3376A102488191#?affiliateId=8054/sb/1434812237_MP_M_S_TS
http://www.spreadshirt.com/relentlessly-gay-ally-t-shirts-C3376A102486460#?affiliateId=8054/sb/1434812169_MP_M_S_TS
GuyllFyre
Where is the Instructable to be able to make those lights?
Those are DIY and it would be nice to have a parts list. I’m a little color blind, so some of the blues and purples will need definite part numbers.
kushla01
@Alexis Barros: Honestly Alexis do you not read well? She said it is SOLAR POWERED garden lamps. Solar powered equipment is expensive, genius. You should read things thoroughly and research things before you start calling people con artists and assuming things because you are making an ass out of yourself. You should be ashamed of yourself. You don’t like it then do not donate and do not read it. It isn’t your problem and it isn’t your money.
straightupfriends
@Chris L Reynolds I hope you mean manual unless you are hoping for a pool boy Manuel in the mail from Latin America? 🙂
jeniken78
I love this woman’s response, good for her! But if she really raised $20k just to do things to her house to annoy her neighbor, that is disgraceful! Do you know how many gofundme campaigns there are for people dealing with serios medical issues and such, that never get anywhere close to that?! I was thinking of creating one muself for medical treatments that I need and cannot afford, but I hesitated because there are so many people that arenso much worse off than me. Yet people donated $20k for this?! I doubt I’d be able to raise a fraction of that! I have a friend that has syahe 4 terminal cancer and has not yet raised $4k. Not saying raising awareness for LGBT issues is not important, but I think our priorities are a little off here! I hope she takes this money and gives it to a better cause!!! Better than hetting rainbow tile for her roof anyway!
Trielle
I don’t know how legit this is, or if it is a scam, if it is not, then I hope she will give the excess to a good cause in the LGBT world. THAT would be amazing. Or help other go fund me’s with a good cause there too. That is what I would do.
DMRX
$41,820 as of 8am Central time Sunday.
Good for her!
RelentlesslyGay
http://teespring.com/relentlesslygayisokay
SeeingAll
@Alexis Barros: You called it !