After 25 years using the same personalized license plate a Nova Scotia man, Lorne Grabher, received notice from the Registry of Motor Vehicles that the plate would be canceled because one person complained it was offensive and had the potential to promote violence against women.
Mr. Grabher’s heritage is German, but with nothing to indicate that on the plate itself it appears that at least one driver sharing the road with him saw it as nothing more than a negative slogan against women.
This situation is beginning to make some people wonder if a German surname such as Grabher is seen as offensive, how long until last names like Titman, Redman, Black, White, or Godfrey, are considered socially unacceptable and join an ever-growing list of banned names, where does it stop?
Should Mr. Grabher be offended that since the controversy began, people have been humorously comparing his family name to a famous recording of U.S. President Donald Trump speaking of a woman and saying how he wanted to “grab her?” Mr. Grabher claims that if not for President Trumps highly controversial remarks about grabbing women’s genitals whoever it was that complained about his “offensive” license plate might never have even noticed the last name on it or decided to complain in the first place.
What this appears to be saying to a lot of people is be careful about ordering expensive personalized plates in case what you put on them one day is banned the next. Brian Taylor, a spokesman for the transportation department says, “the list of banned words is always evolving.” In a world where offense is so easily taken it’s almost guaranteed there are many more personalized plates on the roadways right now that won’t be there for long because someone is going to be offended, is yours next?
Maybe the government will take it a step further and ban personalized plates entirely to avoid conflicts like this in the future, but one thing is certain. Mr. Grabher is standing his ground and intends to fight for the right to have his family name on a personalized plate, just like millions of other drivers are allowed to do.
Such controversy surrounding a hunk of tin with a name printed on it, but considering this plate started out as a birthday gift for the man’s father and has been in his family for decades, this is one of those things most of us would fight for ourselves if we were in his shoes.
That old saying “you can’t fight city hall” is not true, or at least Mr. Grabher doesn’t appear to think so. In April 2017 he claimed that forcing him to discontinue using his last name on his license plate was severely curtailing his right to freedom of expression.
Is this a case of hurt feelings vs freedom of speech? Which is more important, the right to speak your mind, or keep silent to avoid being offensive? It’s beginning to look as if keeping silent is the only politically correct, socially acceptable thing to do if you want to get along with your fellow humans.
Mr. Grabher isn’t letting this go, he intends to sue for damages and a reversal of the decision that started it all, the right to have his last name on a license plate regardless if others find it offensive.
In his words “If I back down then they can do this to anybody” and a lot of people are agreeing with him. His case will be heard in September 2018, and in the meantime, since there are no rules (yet) about what one has on the front plate of a vehicle he proudly displays the plate he received as a gift from his son in Alberta with the family name of “Grabher” clearly stamped on it.
