Special License Plate Idea Withdrawn in Virginia

March 31, 2005 - 7:24am

RICHMOND, Va. -- An idea for a special license plate in Virginia with the words "traditional marriage" on it has been withdrawn.

Prince William County Republican Delegate Scott Ligamfelter introduced the bill, despite outrage from gay rights groups. The bill passed the House of Delegates 62-35, but was expected to have a difficult time in the Senate.

The state ACLU threatened to file a lawsuit based on recent legal precedents, holding that state-issued personalized license plates are public forums in which all viewpoints on a subject must be allowed.

State ACLU Director Kent Willis says that means if a state authorizes a license plate opposing an issue, it must also authorize a plate in favor of the same issue.

He says the "traditional marriage" plate speaks on only one side of the gay union issue.

Last year, the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled that South Carolina's "Choose Life" license plate constituted viewpoint discrimination because legislators did not also allow a plate espousing an alternative view on reproductive rights.

RICHMOND, Va. -- An idea for a special license plate in Virginia with the words "traditional marriage" on it has been withdrawn.

State ACLU Director Kent Willis says that means if a state authorizes a license plate opposing an issue, it must also authorize a plate in favor of the same issue.

He says the "traditional marriage" plate speaks on only one side of the gay union issue.

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