A gay Oklahoma college student’s application for a vanity license plate that reads “IM GAY” was rejected by the Oklahoma Tax Commission last year, and that rejection was upheld by three tax commissioners after an administrative hearing. The student, Keith Kimmel, has now filed suit to get his application approved. (Click here for the news story.)
The reason for the rejection:
The Oklahoma Tax Commission turned Kimmel down last year because of an internal rule against special license tags that “may be offensive to the general public.”
Apparently, however, it is not offensive to have a license plate that reads STR8FAN or STR8SXI. What’s next? Are they going to try to ban rainbow flag bumper stickers because they make a statement about the car owner’s (homo)sexual orientation and are “offensive”? As Kimmel’s lawyer argues, the tax commission’s decision smacks of viewpoint discrimination. Things are definitely not “OK” in Oklahoma.
-Tony Infanti
