Freedom of expression for car owners across the United States has its limits when it comes to the words on the license plates.
Car owners had the option to pay an additional fee to customize license plates but it’s becoming a grey territory with officials struggling to determine what’s appropriate and what’s inappropriate.
Maine used to permit a wide range of license plates with no restrictions but the state altered the rules and recalled 274 plates that were regarded as inappropriate.
People are fighting back to keep the license plates with not much luck since the state has rejected 13 appeals including one that referred to tofu by a vegan. The state explained the license plate “LUVTOFU” could indicate a sexual connotation instead of the food item. The motorist argued that the tofu-related stickers beside the license plate should emphasize the meaning.
“It’s my protest against eating meat and animal products,” Peter Starostecki said.
Heather Libby and her best friend forfeited their license plate that referenced a female dog. “People are so sensitive nowadays,” said Libby. “I just think it’s foolish.”
When the state ended the review process of vanity license plates in 2015, some residents went wild with the profanities, including F-bombs with “snow,” “haters,” and “ALS.”
After people started going out of control with the profanities, the Maine Legislature ordered the Bureau of Motor Vehicles to come up with criteria to assess 120,000 vanity license plates. The new rules ban derogatory references to “age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability.” Any violent or obscene language is also banned.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said motorists can express themselves in a creative manner with a bumper sticker, not a state-issued license plate. “We have a public interest in keeping phrases and words that are profane or may incite violence off the roadways,” Bellows said.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/maine-vanity-license-plates-profanities-1149eb44063bb3608574b2f017e6cc99