A source reported that a tofu enthusiast was caught up in Maine’s crackdown on vulgar license plates after the state determined that his “LUVTOFU” plate could be mistaken for an obscenity.
My license plate literally says ‘love tofu.’ I’m a vegan,
Peter Starostecki said.
After years of allowing almost any combination of numbers and letters on customizable plates, Maine deemed Starostecki’s custom license plate to be one of 274 that were deemed inappropriate. According to the source, all appeals to reinstate the now-deemed “naughty” license plates have been denied.
The plate was recalled by state officials because the last two letters in “tofu” could be interpreted as vulgar, according to WGME. Tennessee also prohibited a similar license plate in 2014. According to another source, the state then said Whitney Calk, an assistant manager for youth marketing at a local PETA, couldn’t have a license plate that read “ILVTOFU.”
I’m just a vegan. No ill intentions,
Starostecki said.
According to The Associated Press, since vanity license plates were no longer reviewed in 2015, some people have started putting vulgarities on their license plates. The Maine Legislature then requested that the Bureau of Motor Vehicles re-establish a system for vetting the 120,000 vanity plates.
According to the outlet, the review system prohibits language that is obscene, incites violence, or is a derogatory reference to age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability.
Starostecki said that while he was disappointed by the ruling, he would pursue the matter further. Since he believes the ruling on his license plate violates his right to free speech, he does agree that vulgarities should not be on license plates.
On Tuesday, Starostecki did not respond to a request for comment.
The motorist stated that he declined the state’s offer to have a license plate that read “V3GAN” and instead obtained a standard license plate.
I’m gonna put my new plates on and just keep driving around,
Starostecki said.
