Tipping Point: So This Happened...

So this happened. A customer in a New Jersey restaurant stiffed waitress Dayna Morales of a tip on a $93.55 bill, and scrawled a note reading, “I am sorry but I cannot tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle.” Morales, who is lesbian and a Marine, posted a photo of the receipt on Facebook. She got lots of attention, and got lots of extra tips which she said she would donate to the Wounded Warriors Project, a worthy charity that provides services to wounded veterans.

Well, I guess I should say that this allegedly happened. The couple who supposedly stiffed Moralis has come forward with a copy of their receipt showing an $18 tip (that would be just under 20%, for those keeping tabs). They also provided a credit card statement indicating that the full $111.55 was charged to their account.

The couple told NBC 4 New York that they believed their receipt was used for a hoax. The wife says she is left-handed and could not have made the slash in the tip line, which she said looks to be drawn from the right.

“We’ve never not left a tip when someone gave good service, and we would never leave a note like that,” the wife said.

The husband said he and his wife have both worked in restaurants and believe in the value of tipping, and noted that he didn’t vote for Gov. Chris Christie because the governor doesn’t support gay marriage.

“Never would a message like that come from us,” he said.

…”I just felt like people have a right to know that — it’s fine if people want to donate to her or to the Wounded Warriors, but they’re doing it under a false pretense,” the wife said

Morales says the handwriting on the receipt is not hers and that she did not receive a tip. The restaurant says that it is launching an internal investigation.

Box Turtle Bulletin.

This came a few weeks after a gay waiter in Kansas said he'd been refused a tip by some Christians - a story that WENT VIRAL!
Then she told some virtual people this happened and IT WENT VIRAL!
Fagburn can't verify what actually what happened here, and has no idea who is telling the truth.

Maybe it'll turn out the Christians are the ones who are lying?

As I can't check it, I'll keep an open mind.
It's a pretty basic editorial standard.
But seeing as so many of these "CRY HOMOPHOBIA!" stories turn out to be hoaxes, could the gay media in future stop running them as facts, but as allegations?
Though admittedly "Squish squish boo hoo! Look at the poor little LGBT victim!" stories make for better copy.

Here's Gay Star News' predictably credulous report - but basically everyone ran with it, unchallenged, unchecked, as per. 

If you think something sounds UNBELIEVABLE! then there's a good chance that's because it's been made-up.

Particularly if it's about Russia, a gayer who was really really drunk at the time, or involves an awful/adorable anti/pro-gay letter/note from a straight relative. 

Basically whenever you read any news story, you should be asking "Is this true?"

Of course, it would be better if journalists asked themselves this in the first place - you'd think that's kinda the point of their job.

PS Some recent CRY HOMOPHOBIA! attention-seeking favourites; Dildogate - baggage handler homophobia!, What happened when my son wore a pink headband to Walmart - supermarket homophobia!, Frigging in the rigging - cruise ship homophobia!, The lesbian couple who sprayed homophobic graffiti on their own house, I could go on - and on and on and on...

Update: OOPS! Looks like Danye Morales could be a serial liar and delusional fantasist!
Whoda thunk it? etc etc.
Thanks to Tom. x