Dick and Betty Odgaard used to run the Gortz Haus Gallery in Grimes, Iowa. They made headlines back in 2013 when they refused to rent out the venue to a same-sex couple. The Odgaards
settled the ensuing civil rights complaint for
$5,000 and a promise to stop discriminating against same-sex couples. In order to abide by their promise, the Odgaards
opted to stop renting the venue for weddings altogether. They had to close for good in July due to lost business.
The couple has decided to fill their newfound spare time with a different type of marketing campaign. They call it “God’s Original Design Ministry” and have launched an accompanying website.
Their hope is to raise enough funds for 1,000 billboards to be posted across the country, bearing the incorrect message that marriage is between one man and one woman. The website also boasts flyers that can be printed and distributed in church parking lots.
In order to raise enough funds for the billboards, the Odgaards
turned to crowdfunding. They made a listing on Fund Me America and have a donation button on their website. They have not disclosed the amount of donations received through their website, but their Fund Me America campaign is not going well.
Despite receiving support from Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, they’ve only received $153 in donations – hardly enough for a parking lot’s worth of flyers, let alone 1,000 billboards.
Not only has the fundraising campaign failed, but the couple’s Facebook page is hardly the beacon of support they had hoped. Instead, it’s filled with comments suggesting causes more worthy of fundraising efforts and criticisms of their open bigotry.
