'ILVTOFU,' a Reference to Food, Is Rejected by the DMV
 
For Immediate Release:
April 7, 2009
 
Contact:
Lindsay Rajt 757-622-7382

Centennial, Colo. -- Kelley Coffman-Lee wanted to inspire conversation about the benefits of a vegetarian diet. But after the Centennial mother of three submitted her check to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) for a personalized license plate reading, "ILVTOFU," the department rejected the plate. The DMV, which initially approved Coffman-Lee's message, called it "[p]ossibly offensive to the general public." Coffman-Lee can only assume that the DMV missed the intended healthy message, "I-LV-TOFU," and misread it as the far steamier "I-LV-TO-F-U."
 
Before the DMV decided to censor Coffman-Lee's message, she was excited about the chance to use her license plate to convince motorists to choose beans over beef. Not only does eating meat cause the daily suffering of animals who are raised and slaughtered for food, it has also been conclusively linked to some of America's top killers, including heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity, and certain types of cancer. Meat production also devastates the environment. It drains the water table, leads to deforestation, pollutes waterways with waste, and is a major source of the greenhouse-gas emissions that lead to climate change. By rejecting burgers and wings, Coffman-Lee does more to shrink her carbon footprint than she would if she traded her car for a bicycle.
 
"Saving animals, the planet, and our kids' health is the right message, and everyone should be able to read it," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "The DMV could do a lot of good by reconsidering its decision and allowing more people to discover the joy of soy."
 
For more information, please visit PETA's blog.