UPDATE: The Dayna Morales "Story"

It’s hard enough out here for a gay, without gays like Dayna Morales, AKA The Story That Would Not Die. I mean, think about it, as a gay man, I am often accused of wanting to have sex with children, to convert children to my deviant lifestyle; I am often accused of ruining marriage by wanting marriage; I have been accused, by some of the far less intelligent folks, and I’m looking at you Sally Kern, of being worse than a terrorist simply by being an openly gay man.

So, it’s hard out here, and Dayna Morales, and gays like her, make it even harder.

By now you all know the story — see my post HERE and HERE— but here’s a quick refresher: Morales was a server in a restaurant and claims she was stiffed — meaning she did not get tipped — by a guest who left an anti-gay comment on the receipt. And folks all over the world began standing up for Dayna, with some even sending her money in support. Morales, an ex-military person, said she would donate the money to Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit that supports veterans returning from overseas duty.

Trouble is, the folks who left that receipt say they never wrote the note and, in fact, left an $18 tip for Morales. Then came word that Dayna had been suspended form her job pending an investigation that she is a liar. Right on the heels of that accusation came the news that Dayna Morales has yet to give one thin dime to the Wounded Warriors. 

A Wounded Warrior representative checking for donations by the name Dayna Morales, and the ZIP codes for Bridgewater, where the restaurant is located, as well as Bedminster, where Morales said she lives, was unable to find any matching donations. He did say, however, that the donations could have been made from a different ZIP code, or by a third-party. But, the more we learn, the more we find that Dayna Morales is the reasons, just one of the reasons, that life is hard for the gays.

Now, friends and family are speaking out about Dayna Morales and we are learning that there isn’t much truth to anything she says.

Morales, who was reportedly dishonorably discharged for failing to show up for drills, has also said that Hurricane Sandy severely damaged her home, causing her to seek shelter in a boarding house, when he home suffered only minor damage.

Even worse, Morales also claimed to have been deployed in Afghanistan where her entire platoon was killed except her, though, a spokesman for the Marines says she was deployed to Romania and there is no record of her ever being in Afghanistan.

Now, however quietly, some of the money that people sent to Dayna is being refunded. At least three people who sent money to a PayPal account set up in Morales’ name say their donations were refunded. 

Brittney Stilgenbauer was one of hundreds of people across the country who offered support, and a cash donation, after Dayna posted her story to Facebook and it went viral: "I felt awful for her, and I thought it would be great if people could come together and donate a dollar each and make up for her tip that she lost."

Stilgenbauer, in fact, as well as others, on Facebook encouraged Morales to set up a PayPal account to accept donations, and that same day, a PayPal account in Morales' name was set up and publicized on Facebook. Brittney Stilgenbauer donated to the account that first day, but this week she received notification that her donation was being refunded.

Morales did not respond to requests for comment, with her only statement on this whole mess being, "All I know is what I've been saying." 

But what she's been saying seems far different than the truth. It's hurting the LGBT community — the last thing we need is more ammunition against us, for being liars and thieves — and it's hurting veterans, and veteran's organizations, who could have used the money she was collecting.

And all because of what, exactly, Dayna?

source