The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles did not take kindly to a Houston person’s proposed license plate that they had hoped would push people to eat more tofu. The DMV rejected Catie Cryar’s license plate application for “LVTOFU” because it included a “vulgar” phrase, according to Austin station KXAN.
The report came from a press release from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, more commonly known as PETA. A PETA spokesperson says in the new release that the license plate didn’t contain any profanity and the Houston resident was trying to “inspire more people to try tofu.” But the DMV responded by saying the proposed license plate contained a “common acronym” for a vulgar phrase.
The DMV didn’t say which acronym. A quick search through Urban Dictionary and Google gives definitions for the protein substitute and other euphemisms. The most common acronym occurrence was for “totally f***ed up.”
The Texas DMV doesn’t have to “consider the applicant’s subjective intent or declared meaning” when reviewing a license plate application, according to the Texas Administrative Code.
Automatic disqualification occurs if the license plate refers to sexual acts; sexual body parts; the number “69” if not used as “1969;” profanity; or derogatory references to race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and more.
Cryar has appealed the rejection with the DMV, arguing that her license plate spreads a pro-vegan message.