IM GOD is not allowed as a number plate message in Kentucky.
Bernie L Hart, who is an atheist, said he applied for the number plate because he wants to spread his views about religion.
In his opinion, there’s no way anyone can prove or disprove a person’s claim to be God.
He wants others to know this.
Hart who was denied the right to use the IM GOD number plate in Kentucky, said he’d been used it in Ohio for “a dozen years”.
The Kentucky state transportation department said he couldn’t have the number plate because other drivers might find it distracting and in bad taste.
They also said it might cause “confrontations”.
Hart said it’s his right to be allowed to choose his own number plate and display a personal message.
Other drivers are allowed to do so. Some display religious messages.
“There is nothing obscene or vulgar about my view that religious beliefs are subject to individual interpretation,” Hart said.
Instead, being allowed to express his views is a matter of freedom of speech.
He is suing Greg Thomas, who is the Kentucky state transport secretary because he is being denied freedom of speech.
The Kentucky arm of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Freedom From Religion Foundation have filed lawsuits to argue for Hart’s rights under the First Amendment.
The First Amendment prohibits laws that prevent freedom of speech.
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