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A vegan father in Maine is butting heads with the state over a license number that expresses his love for tofu, but the authorities have deemed ILOVETOFU to be inappropriate and want him to change it. Despite the father of two insisting that his car sported several stickers proclaiming his love for pressed bean curds, the powers that be insists that it is an ode to his sex life.

Peter Starostecki is just one of the 274 people who have been identified as having plates that are ‘vulgar’. Whether the Maine resident loves making love, or just really enjoys good tofu, is now a matter of dispute as the state backpedals on its previous chilled attitude towards letters.

Maine had for several years allowed people to put just about any combination of letters and numbers on their vehicle plates, including words and phrases that other states would ban. But the state decided to change course and this year recalled plates it deemed inappropriate.

Despite the state not believing that Starostecki’s license plates are a protest against eating meat, he is fighting back. He is joined by Heather Libby who had to change her plates after ‘bi#@h’ was also listed as offensive. Guess government doesn’t like female dogs either.

Most plates that have been identified as ‘vulgar’ sport the f-word in a wide variety of combinations, like F@*# Snow, F@*# Haters, and even F@*# ALS. It’s unsure whether there were any F@*# Tofu plates, but it seems the residents of Maine did go a little overboard with their vanity plates.

The new rules ban derogatory references to age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion or disability. Also banned is language that incites violence, or is considered obscene.

Federal judges in California have overturned bans on some plates in the past as they felt the rules were far too broad and encroached on freedom of speech.

The tofu-loving father has however been offered V3GAN as a license plate by authorities, but he has declined, saying he was ‘done with vanity plates’. The ‘bi#@h’-plate has however been changed to ‘Zeus’, although Libby is worried someone may take religious offence.

“That could be offensive to someone because it’s a Greek god, but I hope not. People are so sensitive nowadays.”

Down here in South Africa, we seem to not even bother with plates anymore if the amount of BMWs without any, is anything to go by. I’m not sure if it’s an aesthetics thing, but if you think your number plate is going to spoil the looks of your car, just remember it’s a BMW, so nobody cares anyway.

Our favourite local vanity plate still remains the Mini Cooper with ‘PMS247’ that’s often spotted cruising around Cape Town. If this is YOU, let us know!

[source:nbcnews]