‘GAYSROK’ Plate Ruled OK in Utah

The state of Utah can’t block Elizabeth Solomon from using her license plate to tell the world “GAYSROK,” an administrative law judge here has ruled.

Jane Phan, an administrative law judge with the Utah State Tax Commission, said the state had no good reason to prevent the Park City woman from having that plate -- which could be read “Gays are OK” or “Gays rock” -- or another one saying, “GAYRYTS.”

“The narrow issue before us is whether a reasonable person would believe the terms ‘gays are OK’ and ‘gay rights’ are, themselves, offensive to good taste and decency,” Phan wrote. “It is the conclusion of the commission that a reasonable person would not.”

It’s not yet an outright victory for Solomon because the state can appeal the July 19 decision.

“We’re discussing it, and we have 30 days to do that,” Barry Conover, deputy director of the commission, which oversees Utah’s Department of Motor Vehicles, said Wednesday.

Tax commission officials were to consult with the Utah attorney general’s office about a possible appeal, Conover said.

“It kind of opens up the door for all types of people who want to make a license plate a public forum, for every initiative,” he said.

“The government can’t pick and choose what subjects it likes and does not like,” said Dani Eyer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, which represented Solomon in the case.

Solomon said she considered the judge’s decision a victory for her daughter, who is a lesbian, and for two gay friends, who she called her sons.