Ohio BMV relaxes personalized license plate restrictions after federal lawsuit

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles has agreed to relax its restrictions on what can go on personalized license plates after facing a federal lawsuit for rejecting the terms “GAY” and “MUSLIM.”

On Sept. 9, two state residents filed a lawsuit against the Ohio BMV in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Ohio, alleging the government organization violated their rights to free speech and equal protection under the law by rejecting their personalized license plate requests. 

William Saki, of Lakewood, attempted to apply for a plate online containing the word “GAY,” while Cyrus Mahdavi, of Strongsville, sought to include the word “MUSLIM.” Both requests were blocked, with the BMV’s website displaying a message calling them “inappropriate.” Meanwhile, the lawsuit states the Ohio BMV has issued license plates including terms such as “STR8,” “STR8 PWR,” “ATHEIST,” and “HINDU.” 

Just days after the filing, on Sept. 11, the Ohio BMV agreed to make changes, including approving Saki’s and Mahdavi’s requests. The agency said it had “erred in rejecting” the plates and would review its database to unlock any words that are not “offensive, disparaging or socially insensitive.” It also agreed to provide online instructions for applicants who believe their plate request was improperly rejected. After the two parties came to this agreement, a judge dismissed the lawsuit. 

Ohio began allowing personalized license plates in 1973 but did not adopt clear rules for evaluating the appropriateness of messages. However, after a 2003 lawsuit, the BMV adopted criteria clarifying that it bans word and letter combinations that are profane, sexually explicit, advocate lawlessness or could provoke a violent response. 

Anthony Zucco filed the 2003 lawsuit after the agency approved but later revoked his application for a plate reading “RDRAGE.” The BMV settled that suit by agreeing to issue the plate and adopting narrower guidelines for evaluating future applications. 

These guidelines lead the agency to reject hundreds of applications each year, including 939 in 2024, 777 in 2023, 758 in 2022 and 827 in 2021. 

The agency also faced another lawsuit over a custom license plate application last year, when Jeffrey Wonser, of Heath, sued the agency for its rejection of  “F46 LGB,” similarly alleging a free speech violation. The complaint noted the terms lack an objective meaning but can be commonly perceived as referring to f— the 46th president, Joe Biden, and Let’s Go Brandon, a term used to insult Biden.

A judge dismissed Wonser’s lawsuit in June, due to the statute of limitations, since his complaint was filed too long after his plate was rejected in 2022. Wonser has filed an appeal. 

The Ohio BMV declined to comment on either of the lawsuits.