This license plate has created a man vs. government situation. Lorne Grabher is fighting to get his personalized NS plate back on his car. pic.twitter.com/7HdMkcasM7
— Kelland Sundahl (@KSundahlCTV) March 23, 2017
Vanity license plates they’re an excellent way to show off your funny side or pay tribute to your family. But for one man, his family’s name has gotten him in trouble with the law. The man in question, who is named Lorne Grabher, was told by the Office of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles in Nova Scotia his “GRABHER” plate received a complaint and is now being discontinued. Well, Grabher is fighting back against the man to get his family’s vanity plate back.
The whole situation started after Grabher noticed a woman snapping a pic of his plate at a local Tim Hortons in December. He didn’t think much of the incident at the time, however that woman ended up filing a complaint. Janice Harland of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles and Director of Road Safety for Nova Scotia, said she understands it’s his last name, but some may not be aware of that and interpret it differently:
“Please be advised that the Office of the Registrar of Motor Vehicles has received a complaint about your personalized plate “GRABHER.” While I recognize this plate was issued as your last name, the public cannot be expected to know this and can misinterpret it as a socially unacceptable slogan.”
Grabher comes from a long line of Grabhers as the plate has been in his family for 25 years and he hasn’t had any issues until now. In fact, he said his son has the same plate in Alberta, and he hasn’t had any trouble. Now, Grabher is pushing back, claiming that he is being discriminated against:
“I’m very thankful for my name. I thank God it was passed down … It’s not a slogan, it’s on my birth certificate, it’s on my driver’s license, it’s on my passport, it’s in the phonebook … It’s not a swear word. Where do the government and the province get the right to discriminate against a person’s name? That is my given birth name. Well, I guess we’re going to have to take it out of the phone book – that’s public. I didn’t realize you can discriminate in Nova Scotia.”
Some may point out Grabher’s name may irk some, as Donald Trump’s infamous “grab them by the p*ssy” quote has given grab a whole new connotation. He said he’s acutely aware of that, even saying he’s not a fan but feels his name doesn’t constitute as a slogan. We’ll see how this pans out.
(Via The Chronicle Herald)