Irreverent car owners are presently fighting a fall behind struggle with properness - minded bureaucrat inMaine — and one unsuspecting vegan has found himself in the crosshairs .
Up until 2015 , Maine ’s secretary of state could proscribe a conceit permit plate request if itfeaturedanything “ obscene , contemptuous , profane , or prejudicial . ” But then lawgiver did away with that exceptional restriction , kickstarting a golden long time ofinappropriate platesin the Pine Tree State . The lunar time period begin to change in 2021 , whennewly appointedSecretary of State Shenna Bellows made it her mission to clean up the language on Maine ’s roads without trample on anyone ’s constitutional rights .
“ The First Amendment protects your rightfield to have any bumper sticker you want , but it does n’t force the body politic to issue you a adjustment plate that subject every small fry in your neighborhood to a message the governing would n’t permit them to see in a movie theatre of operations , ” Bellowssaidin a 2021 name and address to the state legislature ’s transit committee .
Her rationale come through out , leading tolegislationthat now allows Maine ’s secretary of state to veto or even withdraw a vanity plate that “ is profane or obscene , ” “ connotes genitalia or relates to intimate act , ” or “ make a disparaging source ” to any bit of protected classes , among other restrictions .
late , as theAssociated Press reports , 274 plates were recalled for outrage the fresh terminal figure — including “ LUVTOFU , ” which owner Peter Starostecki said is simply his “ dissent against eating meat and animal merchandise . ” The claim that the plateful is an clean-handed tribute to bean curd rather than a sexual address is supported by the fact that Starostecki ’s fomite also gambol multiple tofu - centric bumper spine .
Heather Libby , on the other script , was n’t trying to encourage any specific political orientation when she purchase a vanity plate that turn back the wordb***h : She and her best friend just need to get matching home for fun .
Libby and Starostecki were two of only 13 offending plate possessor who invoke their recollection , but neither they nor any of the other appellants were successful . ( No one has yet tried to elevate their case to the Supreme Court , which is technically an choice . ) Instead , Libby ordered a new plate containing her heel ’s name , Zeus . And Starostecki is catch out of the vanity dental plate game on the whole , even turning down an offer to replace LUVTOFU with V3GAN . The reaching of his animal - favorable evangelizing will now pillow on the strength of his bumper prickle alone .
[ h / tAssociated Press ]
