Whether it’s a nickname, inside joke, or favorite sports team, personalized license plates are pretty cool. At least, much cooler than the random numbers and letters you get assigned to you when you register your vehicle.
Not only does it give your car a more personalized feel, you can memorize it more easily (you know, for those times you stay overnight somewhere and you have to write down your license plate number and you realize you have no idea what it is…).
But what happens when you want to advertise your name on your license plate—but your name isn’t necessarily considered socially acceptable by the general public?
We’ve all seen the standard ‘bad’ first names that instigate giggles (the nickname for Robert, anyone?), but there are far worse last names to exist in this world. And unfortunately that’s not something that most people have any control over. You’re just handed down a last name, and you must go by that forever (unless you get married and change it, of course).
One 65-year-old man from Nova Scotia, Canada is one of these men with a less than ideal last name. He recently had the Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles cancel his personalized license plate, which displays said last name, and he is not happy about it.
While the plate has been around for more than 25 years, only recently did someone complain that it should be changed—and the government agrees, explaining that people “can misinterpret it as a socially unacceptable slogan.”
His name? Grabher. Lorne Grabher.
Do you see anything wrong with this photo? It’s just his last name, right?
“A complaint was received outlining how some individuals interpret [the name] as misogynistic and promoting violence against women,” an email that was sent to CBC News by a spokesman from the Department of Transportation (DOT) stated.
But Lorne isn’t having it. He said the license plate was a gift from his father for his birthday and wants to be able to use it. After all, it is his last name.
But, “With no way to denote that it is a family name on the plate, the department determined it was in the public’s best interest to remove it from circulation,” the statement from the DOT stated.
And still, Lorne is going to fight for what he wants, who scheduled a trial for September 2018.
“If I back down than they can do this to anybody. I guess a last name doesn’t mean anything to them.”
“We aren’t going to be suing for damages or monetary compensation,” said Lorne’s lawyer. “We just want a reversal of the government’s unjust decision.”
The Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles website states that you’re not allowed to personalize your plate with “Words or symbols socially unacceptable, offensive, not in good taste, or implying an official authority.” However, there are no distinct rules against displaying your last name.
Additionally, those who want to get a customized plate must pay an initial fee of $107.35, plus an annual renewal fee of $30.05, which Lorne has never disobeyed.
Do you think Lorne deserves to have a his license plate revoked? How would you feel if you were told you couldn’t display your last name on your license plate?