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A judge has ruled that the state of Utah can't prevent Elizabeth Solomon from obtaining a custom license plates that read GAYSROK and GAYRYTS, respectively.
"The narrow issue before us is whether a reasonable person would believe the terms 'gays are OK' and 'gay rights' are, themselves, offensive to good taste and decency. It is the conclusion of the commission that a reasonable person would not," [Judge Jane] Phan wrote. [AP]
Virtual license plate courtesy of the ACME License Maker.
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» What in the Name of Leviticus?? from FloridaBlues
Imagine that. People thinking that Gays are okay. How very offensive! Why in the name of Leviticus would one possibly want to advertise such a thing? [Read More]
» James Dobson is Most Certainly NOT Amused from Boston Dreams
Good for her, and hey, if that means that it leads to other 'offensive' plates, oh well. We all could use a little offending now and then. Don't forget that Florida has those silly official 'Choose Life' plates, and pretends that there is no politica... [Read More]
The comments to this entry are closed.
Is it just me that read the license in the image as "gays rock" and not "gays are OK"? Same sentiment in either case.
Posted by: pdf23ds | July 28, 2005 at 02:12 PM
Elizabeth Solomon, bringing the Enlightenment to Utah.
400 years late, but they aren't bandwagon jumpers in Utah.
Posted by: epistemology | July 28, 2005 at 02:13 PM
I read it as "Gays Rock", too. Hence the choice of Utah license plate.
Posted by: Lindsay Beyerstein | July 28, 2005 at 02:14 PM
Same sentiment in either case.
No, no. "Gays Rock" is a much better and more accurate statement.
Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | July 28, 2005 at 02:27 PM
hey, I got cut off. I was going to say "more accurate statement" with a link to Bob Mould's weblog, because I forgot that Lindsays comments don't accept links.
Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | July 28, 2005 at 02:29 PM
The comments do accept links, but for some weird reason, Typepad cuts you off if you don't close the quotation marks around a url. So, I took the liberty of adding a close-".
Posted by: Lindsay Beyerstein | July 28, 2005 at 02:47 PM
"The narrow issue before us is whether a reasonable person would believe the terms 'gays are OK' and 'gay rights' are, themselves, offensive to good taste and decency. It is the conclusion of the commission that a reasonable person would not," [Judge Jane] Phan wrote. [AP]
But...but...what about unreasonable people? Don't they have rights too?
Posted by: Njorl | July 28, 2005 at 03:06 PM
I misread it too. Gays are OK is correct? Does the text have no life of its own?
Not in Utah. The modesty of the formulation: Gays are OK is amusing. Perhaps you must slither on your belly before you crawl in Utah. Walking is apparently out of the question at this time.
Would the judge have decided a reasonable person would accept GAYS ROCK, or is that just a little too much to believe in Utah?
Posted by: epistemology | July 28, 2005 at 03:25 PM
Tally one more who read it as "Gays Rock." I do wish so that I had a snappy comment about readers and text to insert here.
Posted by: Tom Renbarger | July 28, 2005 at 03:29 PM
Well! I am so offended, I am going to return my pro-life license plates right now.
Posted by: j swift | July 28, 2005 at 04:00 PM
I read Gays Rock too. From the first few words I thought the post would be about an attempt to name a big rock in UT as "Gay's Rock". I have no idea what would be gay about a rock.
I can't believe the state tried to ban it. Oh wait we're talking about UT.
Posted by: Ron O. | July 28, 2005 at 04:16 PM
Lindsay: Oops, sorry, thanks.
Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | July 28, 2005 at 04:35 PM
I noticed this story this morning and the following statement by the Deputy Deputy Director of the state Tax Commission irked the heck out of me
Mind you, I checked the states website for the different group plates it offers and Utah suprised me by not having the "choose life" or marriage = 1 man + 1 woman plates. This being said, I tried to order a plate that said "PROLIFE" and it was taken, so they do let some political vanity plates get through.
Posted by: ol cranky | July 28, 2005 at 04:40 PM
In DC you can order plates that say "Washington DC: Taxation without Representation" where the state slogan would be if DC were a state.
Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | July 28, 2005 at 04:49 PM
A few years back, the state of Florida tried to prevent someone from getting an ATHEIST license tag because, apparently, "atheist" is an obscene word in Florida. Fortunately the tag owner got in touch with the ACLU and talked the government into letting him keep it.
Posted by: Philip Brooks | July 28, 2005 at 05:08 PM
Man, if you think people hate gays, they hate atheists even more.
Posted by: mudkitty | July 28, 2005 at 07:55 PM
A quote from Caddyshack comes to mind:
"Oh Danny, this isn't Russia. Is this Russia?"
Land of the free. Hmm. It sounds so nice when you sing it. I guess it's not as pretty when you just say it, though.
Posted by: Horatio | July 29, 2005 at 12:10 AM
I read it as GAYS ROCK too. "Gays are OK"? That's actually kind of sad. It sounds so apologetic.
Posted by: BritGirlSF | July 29, 2005 at 01:22 AM
OK, as someone who has a lesbo sister married to her partner (married by my clergyman father), I read it as 'Gays Rock'.
Posted by: otherpaul | July 29, 2005 at 04:24 AM
If you use the search engine at thesmokinggun, you can find a lot of priceless complaint and response letters about vanity plates. Some of the plates are pretty clever, but clearly inappropriate ("FL8ME", for example). Others have creative justifications for their plates. "BIGPNS" claimed that the name derived from a "large Petri-Net System Simulation."
It is annoying, though, that there are so many busybodies out there that people actually have to defend plates like "LEZMIZ" and "FLATCAT".
Posted by: gordo | July 29, 2005 at 07:42 AM
Meanwhile, check out Acme.com. Acme mapper is my favorite part of the site.
Posted by: Hollis | July 29, 2005 at 01:17 PM
Like everyone else here, I thought GAYSROK meant "gays rock" restricted to 7 letters.
Posted by: Alon Levy | July 29, 2005 at 03:17 PM
I have to say, I was offended by "GAYRYTS". Saying that homosexuality is like a disease, "Gayrytis", is about as offensive as it gets.
Posted by: gordo | July 29, 2005 at 06:33 PM
Visit http://www.SpareSomeChange.com/Funny/ where you will find 50 other image/sign generators (similar to the ACME generator, but can be used as free email greeting cards) where you can manipulate the caption on signs ranging from protestors holding signs at a protest or make your own "his & hers" tombstones!
Posted by: WHAK'd | October 18, 2005 at 05:54 PM