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Personalized license plates have always been a troublesome item for states, especially when people try to sneak vulgarisms past the state authorities issuing the plates. And it looks like that has happened again, this time in the state of Alabama, with a personalized plate that has infuriated liberals and gay activists across the country.
Paul Fulton, Jr., a gay man from Atlanta, Georgia, happened upon a car sporting a license plate reading “N0H0M0” (with zeros in place of the Os). The plate shocked him, as he perceived it to be an anti-gay slur. So, Fulton took a snap shot of it and posted the image to Twitter.
WOW. State of Alabama OK’d this plate? Seen in #Atlanta @thinkprogress @JuddLegum @newcivilrights @ALcomHuntsville pic.twitter.com/KHdoIaX9hJ
— Paul Fulton, Jr. (@paulfultonjr) December 8, 2014
The image started a firestorm of complaints by liberals and various gay websites.
As the gay website GayStarNews.com reported, the license plate is a well-known anti-gay slur in the hip hop culture: “‘No homo’ is a phrase used to distance the speaker from something they said that could give the impression they were gay, especially in hip hop,” the site reported.
The phrase also made news in 2013 when the NBA fined Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert $75,000 for using the phrase and for cursing at a news conference.
In a piece at Vulture.com, writer Nick Catucci explains, “In a sense, ‘no homo’ is just a more evolved way of calling someone a ‘faggot.’”
Asked for comment, state authorities said that the process for approving personalized plates is fairly rigorous.
As DailyHeadlines.com reported:
Amanda Collier, a spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Revenue, informed ThinkProgress that a process is in place to monitor what plates are banned. When a request for a personalized license plate is filed, a three-person review panel considers each application, sometimes offering alternative lettering for the requested message. Some messages are so explicit, however, that “no alternative can be offered” and the taxpayer’s request is denied. “There is a list of more than 6,000 plates that are strictly banned and will not be allowed on any tag in the state,” Collier explained, including “anything explicit, any profanity, or vulgar language.”
But that wasn’t the end of the matter. After the criticism mounted, that state decided to take action.
Huffington Post’s gay voices page said the state has rescinded the plates:
[Alabama] Revenue Department spokeswoman Amanda Collier says the license plate with the saying “NOHOMO” slipped past its three-member review panel. She says the state prohibits personalized tags with profane or vulgar messages.
The department became aware of the plate after a photograph of it on a black Mustang began circulating on social media Monday. Collier said Thursday that the car owner can appeal the decision.
The license plate also featured a pink ribbon usually meant to denote support of breast cancer awareness. Joy Blondheim, founder of the Joy To Life Foundation, told the media that she is sure that the plate has no connection to her organization.
There must be more important things for liberals to worry about?