William Psaki is celebrating getting a new “GAY” license plate after suing the Ohio Department of Transportation for denying his request in the first place. Psaki, who lives in the LGBTQ-friendly Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, argued the plates simply reflected his identity as a gay man and should be protected as free speech.
Previously, when Saki entered “GAY” into BMV’s online registration tool, the request was rejected as “inappropriate/invalid.” The term has been on a list of about 62,000 banned words since 1996.
These include the terms “queer,” “homo,” and even “lesbian.”
Meanwhile, the tool approved plates expressing anti-gay hostility or straight pride, such as “NO GAYS,” “NO HOMOS,” “NO FAGS,” “STR8,” “BE STR8” and “STR8 PWR.”
“Gay is who I am. That’s a fact and I’m proud of it,” Psaki told the Cleveland ABC affiliate. WEWSTV After getting the plate. “I found out that the state was saying, ‘No, we don’t like that plate. It’s offensive to us.'” That’s my free speech they’re ruining at that point. ”
Psaki hired First Amendment attorney Brian Bardwell, who argued that the BMV’s guidelines were inconsistent and not limited to LGBTQ-themed plates.
“I would say the guidelines were very vague,” Bardwell told WEWS, citing unrelated discrepancies as evidence that the system lacks clear standards. “Someone wanted it to be short for Jack Daniel’s and they allowed it, but Jim Beam didn’t allow it. Somebody wanted Zinfandel and that’s fine, but not Cabernet.”
Psaki, along with Cyrus Mahdavi, another Ohio man who wanted a plate that said “Muslim” to express his religious beliefs, argued that the BMV’s guidelines for license plate standards are biased and violate free speech rights.
On September 11, U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster dismissed the case in favor of Mr. Psaki and Mr. Mahdavi after finding that the BMV had wrongly denied certain plate applications. Under the settlement, the agencies agreed to review their databases, remove unfairly banned terms and create a process for people to appeal previous denials.
Customized plates are an easy way for people to express their identity and beliefs, Psaki told WEWS. “The government cannot take away freedom of speech,” he said. “want [others] If you want to know if you want a unique license plate that won’t offend anyone, you should be able to request one if no one else has it yet. ”
Saki, who received the plate this fall, told WEWS that she was proud to display it, even though some people may find the message offensive or confrontational.
“When I drive by, I notice people pointing and taking pictures. It puts a smile on my face. I love it,” Saki said. “I’ll always remember this plate.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
