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Man Sues Over GA’s Refusal to Allow Pro-Gay ’4GAYLIB,’ ‘GAYGUY’ & ‘GAYPWR’ Vanity License Plates

Jan. 22, 2013 7:52am
James Cyrus Gilbert Sues Georgia Department of Driver Services Over Gay Vanity License Plates

Photo Credit: Georgia.gov

ATLANTA (TheBlaze/AP) — An Atlanta man is suing the Georgia Department of Driver Services, contending that his rights were violated when the state rejected his application for vanity plates making reference to his sexual orientation.

James Cyrus Gilbert maintains in the lawsuit that state officials rejected his application for the tags 4GAYLIB, GAYPWR and GAYGUY.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that all three vanity plates are on the list of vanity plates banned by the state, although the state has approved plates expressing some political or religious expressions.

Gilbert said he wasn’t asking for a plate that was vulgar or “over the top.”

“Denying someone the right to put gay on their tag, that’s political,” he said. “If I want I could get a tag that said straight man, but because it had gay on it, it’s not available.”

The Journal-Constitution has more about the debate surrounding vanity plates — one that is complex, with the rules governing the messaging somewhat unclear:

Most of the tags the state has banned are vulgar or hateful. But also on the list are some religious, philosophical and political expressions the state has deemed unsuitable to appear on motor vehicles.

In addition, an AJC analysis of banned and approved vanity plates found the difference between 10,214 banned tags and the 91,151 accepted tags is sometimes ridiculously ambiguous. [...]

…Department of Revenue officials have acknowledged in the past that the process of approving vanity plates is inconsistent. State officials approved HATERS, but denied HATERS1. They approved BLKBERI, BLKCHRY and BLCBUTI, but denied BLKACE.

The inconsistency is the result of many different people with differing views making decisions on what is offensive, a Department of Revenue spokesman told the AJC.

Gilbet and his lawyer, Cynthia Counts, argue that there has been “viewpoint discrimination” based upon his sexuality. While plates involving gay themes have been shunned, others that reflect a more conservative worldview like JESUS4U have apparently been accepted.

“I think it’s pretty clear the statute has been applied arbitrary without regard to any state interest,” said Counts. “And the restrictions have reflected viewpoint discrimination and that alone should be fatal.”

Representatives of the state Attorney General’s office, Georgia Department of Driver Services and the Department of Revenue, the agency that administers vanity plates, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

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Comments (75)

1 2
  • NewCreationDave
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:58am

    Can anyone explain why homosexuals want the whole world to know they’re homosexuals? I mean, what’s this country coming to? Next, Ray Lewis will want a plate that reads “Murder1!” Oh well …

    Report this comment

    NewCreationDave  
    • TOMSERVO
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:08pm

      Why do Christians want everyone to know they are Christian? Why do soccer moms want people to know they are soccer moms? Why do Ron Paul lovers want people to know they love Ron Paul?

      Report this comment

      TOMSERVO  
    • NewCreationDave
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:24pm

      Tom, are you trying to make the case that homosexual perversion and deviancy is equivalent to those others? That works over at HuffPost but not here.

      Report this comment

      NewCreationDave  
    • Jim in Houston
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:34pm

      Putting an announcement that one is queer is not a political statement, it is a STUPID statement.

      Report this comment

      Jim in Houston  
    • Polyterdal
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:55pm

      It has to do with government and society blessing the gays as being a MINORITY. On top of that, the gays have been working diligently day and night to over-take the blacks and the mexicans (including the illegal variety) and the muslims on the official “Minority Totem-Pole” of the United States. They have been getting closer and closer to the top because of their never-ending efforts to become the rulers of the official “Minority Totem-Pole. Well, if ILLEGAL mexicans (and they are even ILLEGAL to begin with), can even be on this totem-pole in the first place, then, it surely goes without saying the gays could someday possibly rule the entire official Minority Totem-Pole of the United States. How did the gays even become a minority? Well, just because they are gay–just like the blacks and the mexicans (including the illegal variety) and the muslims–they are minorities just because they are black and mexican and illegal mexican and muslim. But, as government and society must be “SENSITIVE-TO-THE-NEEDS” of all minorities, the group at the top of the official “Minority Totem-Pole” will receive the most of the SENSITIVITY. And, at the current time, it looks like government and society are expecting all of us to be very very very very very SENSITIVE to the needs of the gays. Let’s be SENSITIVE.

      Report this comment

      Polyterdal  
    • American Soldier (Separated)
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 3:25pm

      Why do we have Tea Party Rallies? Why did we just hold a national pro-gun rally?

      Why do we put bumper stickers on our cars?

      We all do it. Just because the gays do it, and you hate gays, doesn’t mean they’re freaks for promoting their cause. We all have causes, we all believe in something. We are all able to fight for what we believe, and public exposure is one of the biggest and best ways to fight for your particular cause.

      Report this comment

      American Soldier (Separated)  
    • HarryPotter
      Posted on January 23, 2013 at 12:54am

      NEWCREATIONDAVE –

      To answer your question, gay men and women “want the whole world to know” because it is a part of who they are. I am gay, and I remember thinking the same thing before I came out. But for a group that was shunned, bullied, and generally cast out by society for so long, this is understandable. It is difficult to explain to anyone who does not have a similar history, but first gays would hide in shame. Then they accepted it themselves, but were still shunned from most of society, so a rather extreme rebellion came about. They weren’t seen as masculine, so gay men adopted a very feminine manner. They could not marry, so gay culture became very promiscuous. Now you will start seeing the younger generation of gay men and women fitting in more with the rest of American culture and societal norms as more and more straight people accept homosexuality. But there is still an importance in coming out, or admitting to the world that you are gay. It is about showing the world that you are who you are, and you are not ashamed of it. It shows that you can accept yourself even if you will be treated differently because of it. It is about admitting that you do not fit in with the typical idea of the American dream with a wife, 2 kids, and a white picket fence. Coming out is still very important in the life of a gay person, no matter how they are treated afterward.

      Report this comment

      HarryPotter  
    • nesmond
      Posted on January 23, 2013 at 3:18pm

      How about, “IMAFAG”? or maybe DKSKR? or POLPUFR? or FUJPKR? My favorite would be , “DERSPHINCTERMEISTER”, but that would not fit on a plate.

      Report this comment

      nesmond  
  • kellcats521
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 10:14am

    Suprising how the guy looking to profess his sexual orientation on a license plate has previously been arrested for child molestation – not hard to find mugshot info on him…..

    Report this comment

    kellcats521  
    • horseman43
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 10:45am

      I’m all for putting identification on a vehicle that the owner is a homosexual. The license plate is fine.

      That way people will know who to watch and be wary of when they’re out in public. In fact, I’m all for passing a law REQUIRING homosexual identification.

      If they don’t drive, they should be required to wear a large name tag that identifies them as a homosexual or other deviant like someone who practices bestiality.

      And if they’re seen talking to children, they should be tried and convicted of devient sexual practices and incarcerated for life on some penal colony set up somewhere in the Carribean, like the lepers were.

      Russia is set to pass a law right now that makes it a crime for homosexuals to try to propagandize anyone, especially children.

      If secession comes about as I think it will, we need to follow the example of Russia and come on up out of the stone-age where sick perverts demand special privileges.

      Report this comment

      horseman43  
    • honeydijon13
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:34am

      Link please.

      Report this comment

      honeydijon13  
    • txswalker
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 11:59am

      Googled it. its true

      Report this comment

      txswalker  
    • Winedude
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 12:06pm

      Here y’all go:
      http://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Georgia/DeKalb-County-GA/James-Cyrus-Gilbert.6832509/details/

      This is one sick puppy but he does deserve the plates. Nothing offensive to what he’s proposing unless one is totally worshiping of a book written thousands of years ago and been translated so often that almost nobody knows what was actually said. Nothing divine about the bible, nothing at all…

      Report this comment

      Winedude  
  • Wyerd_001
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:57am

    It’s for your own protection, since you can not take care of yourself the government will do it for you….after all the great savior of gay people Barack Obama said himself, safety outweighs the individual rights of people

    Report this comment

    Wyerd_001  
  • Atrum Angelis
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:51am

    All these freedom of expression issues with vanity plates can be solved very easily.
    The state stops making vanity plates. Therefore, it doesn’t have to pick and choose what can be or not be on them. Not making vanity plates doesn’t infringe on someones freedoms. They can just go buy a bumper sticker. Then you can be pro-life, pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-god, etc. and use the back end of your vehicle to state it all you want. Without the taxpayer dollar.

    Report this comment

    Atrum Angelis  
    • The Third Archon
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 5:57pm

      This is not about vanity plates–this about the actual sequence of numbers and letters making up the plate license number. Vanity plates are those with a background graphic different than the conventional design–completely independent and different the sequence comprising the license plate “number” (which is actually numbers and letters).

      Report this comment

      The Third Archon  
  • vaman
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:48am

    Thanks blaze for another ridiculous story to get all the mouth breathers worked up. Really though, thanks blaze because your stories always illicit the true hate mongers that are the chistian fundamentalist radicals.

    Report this comment

    vaman  
    • woodyee
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:59am

      Your post reminds me of a sign I once saw, spray-painted along a wooden fence on private property – “**** All Haters!”

      If that wasn’t the pot…

      Report this comment

      woodyee  
  • obamapoop
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:45am

    β€œDenying someone the right to put gay on their tag, that’s political,” Here is the main failure of the argument. There is no right to put anything on a license tag, it is leased by you the citizen but owned by the state, you do not own it. The state mandates that you pay a tax and are assigned a unique number. They will allow you to pay a larger tax to have a custom one if they approve, end of story. Welcome to the state run society.

    Report this comment

    obamapoop  
  • soybomb315_II
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:42am

    at least it helps the male to female ratio

    Report this comment

    soybomb315_II  
  • turkey13
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:40am

    Does this ban include Q_ueer & L_zzie also?

    Report this comment

    turkey13  
  • 1WhoQuestions
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:39am

    Some plates are good, if not outright hillarious. Should he be allowed? Why not?

    I’ve seen the following plates:

    BUD GRL (Not a Coors beer drinker I’m assuming)
    NET JET (New York fan?)

    And one I say Saturday that I’m surpised made it through the DMV:

    WANKRR (Need I say more?)

    Report this comment

    1WhoQuestions  
  • bcope01
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:20am

    Seems to me I remember that a “pro-life” license plate was denied recently by some state. Get over yourselves.

    Report this comment

    bcope01  
    • trolltrainer
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:29am

      That would be NC and in that particular choice the problem was the pro-choice plate was banned so they decided to cut the pro-life one too. I can understand that…

      I don’t like any censuring of ideas. I don’t feel obscenities should be allowed but one gets into a slippery slope there. I mean, should a plate like “BIG BTCH” be allowed? I don’t know…Don’t much care really…

      You know, just plaster your car with bumper stickers and be done with it. I wouldn’t lose much sleep over this…

      Report this comment

      trolltrainer  
  • HOOT_OWL
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:13am

    I was told β€˜The Beast’ had the same problem ..Not getting β€˜FUDG-PKR1β€˜ .

    Report this comment

    HOOT_OWL  
  • love the kids
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:11am

    I could see someone getting into an accident with someone that had this on their plate and then somehow it would turn into a hate crime.
    Besides, isn’t allowing someone to pay a little extra for a plate really just promoting class warfare??? That alone should be illegal? Isn’t that alone discriminating? Can I buy sa permit from the state that allows me to always drive 15 MPH over the speed limit? Why not?

    Report this comment

    love the kids  
  • love the kids
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:00am

    why don’t they just change their state motto from, “The Peach State” to “The Fruit State”, that should cover it.

    Report this comment

    love the kids  
  • chershaw8
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:53am

    I have no problem with the legal rights for homosexuals, even marriage. They are human beings with value. It’s when some GBLs insist on demonizing me or forcing me to relinquish my MORAL beliefs, to suit thier own conscience. Thier behavior in this life, is between them and God, just as my behavior is. We CAN respect and accept each others position and live in peace if both sides are civil, logical and willing to understand. Politics has no place.

    Report this comment

    chershaw8  
    • love the kids
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:06am

      The problem here is that “Marriage” is actually a religious term. It was around before this country was even in existance. Because we were founded on religious principals, the law recognized marriage, by the church. They should not even be defining what marriage is because of the seperation of church and state. The state should just recognize a union between two people.

      Report this comment

      love the kids  
    • woodyee
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:21am

      Think for a moment – when your Religious or Darwinian beliefs are destroyed with the stroke of a pen, they have SUCCEEDED in “demonizing me or forcing me to relinquish my MORAL beliefs, to suit thier own conscience.”

      End of story. Now you either get off your Pity Stool and speak out, or remain seated and quiet.

      Report this comment

      woodyee  
  • trolltrainer
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:46am

    Come on Georgia, let him get his plate! His life…I strongly suggest he not leave the immediate Atlanta area with it though!

    Report this comment

    trolltrainer  
    • Gonzo
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:00am

      Yes, he better stay inside the perimeter with that one.

      Report this comment

      Gonzo  
  • love the kids
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:45am

    I think having that plate on your car would leave you wide open for a rear end collision

    Report this comment

    love the kids  
  • love the kids
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:43am

    Welcome to equal rights, NYS wouldn’t allow us to have plates that say, “In God we Trust”, so why shouldn’t be denied the same rights as other Americans also? By the way, the state says that they own the plates, even though when the change them, they make us pay a ridiculous fee for them.

    Report this comment

    love the kids  
  • ABoggledMind
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:35am

    On one side of it, if he owns the car, is that it is his and he can do what he wishes with the car he payed for. However on the other side, the feds own the roads, so if you want to drive on them you must obey………..

    On another note why would someone want to put a target on their car like that? pretty dumb in my opinion because he obviously is touchy about the subject so why advertise it to people who quite possibly disagree?

    I think this guy just wants to make some quick pocket money….and he probably sees them as “anti gay” so who better to take it from….? I mean really ask yourself, would you go through all that trouble just for a different license plate? HAH

    Report this comment

    ABoggledMind  
    • oldguy49
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:47am

      have him sign a waver not holding the state in anyway responsible for what may happen to him because of this action……………..good luck ……….lol

      Report this comment

      oldguy49  
    • ABoggledMind
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:06am

      But then there is insurance which would be bound to go up every time something DOES happen. Its just a crap shoot thats all there is to it, so back to my other question, Who would go through all of that trouble and money JUST for a license plate? Why not just wear a name tag every day that says hes gay? 12357894312674893025437829 times easier. He just wants someone else to blame if something does happen because of it in my opinion, because if he wanted the label that badly he would already have it.

      Report this comment

      ABoggledMind  
    • trolltrainer
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:36am

      ABoggledMind
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 9:06am

      Why not just wear a name tag every day that says hes gay?
      ———————————————————————————————-
      I am sure he does! Maybe not a name tag, but I would bet my last dollar he is one of the “cute” gays that are unmistakeably homosexual.

      Report this comment

      trolltrainer  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:30am

    .
    He might as well just ask for TAPME………

    Report this comment

    SpankDaMonkey  
  • FoxRules
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:28am

    Sure it’s political buddy and they’re just picking on poor you… We couldn’t get Jesus, I (heart sign) USA, NoBama. Gays without question are the most selfish special interest group we continue to give a pass too. Seriously, we’re just giving free press too and rewarding another mockery of people choosing to advertise they decided to be different – WHERE DOES IT SAY ANYWHERE I OR WE HAVE TO ACCEPT IT? Friend, you’re this is only special in your mind, that’s all.

    Report this comment

    FoxRules  
  • progressiveslayer
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:28am

    So now we have a right to vanity license plates? I always thought driving an automobile was a privilege and not a right.

    Report this comment

    progressiveslayer  
  • DZ-015
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:20am

    Why is the state turning down the extra revenue a personalized license plate represents when there is no profanity, disparagement or hatefulness involved in the message the applicant wishes to send? It’s just another example of the bureaucratic urge to stay in control. I bet someone there already has a plate reading GA PRIDE.

    Report this comment

    DZ-015  
  • biohazard23
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:15am

    Boo friggin’ hoo.

    Report this comment

     
  • soybomb315_II
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:11am

    government do anything they want to when it comes to roads and driving….they own them

    Report this comment

    soybomb315_II  
    • TheGrtDcptn
      Posted on January 22, 2013 at 10:56am

      We the People paid for every aspect of those roads…

      They own them my a$$…

      Report this comment

      TheGrtDcptn  
  • blanco5
    Posted on January 22, 2013 at 8:10am

    Why is it so important that people stuck in traffic need to know that he likes sex with men?

    Report this comment

    blanco5  
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