A Santa Clara,
Calif., resident will soon have a new vanity plate for his
2007 Toyota Prius. "HIV POZ" was initially
turned down by the Department of Motor Vehicles as
inappropriate, but after further consideration the
decision was reversed, allowing Julien Pierre to have the
license plate.
"'HIV POZ' would be no different if you
say something about a heart or a lung; it was not an
offensive configuration,'' DMV spokesman Mike Marando
said.
Pierre said he
found the initial refusal puzzling, especially since DMV
lost a suit 10 years ago over the same issue.
In 1998, a
federal judge ruled that the DMV violated Kevin Dimmick's
free speech rights by refusing to issue him
personalized plates reading "HIV POS" for his
motorcycle, reports the Mercury News.
"I don't think
it's something you need to hide from or be ashamed of.
I wanted to show people I'm not hiding from it,'' Pierre
said.
The software
engineer was diagnosed with the virus two years ago and
hopes that by publicly announcing his HIV status, the stigma
surrounding the disease will diminish, reports
Mercury News. (The Advocate)
