DMV Sued After It Refuses to Issue ‘HIV POS’ License Plate
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OAKLAND — The state Department of Motor Vehicles has been hit with a $5-million discrimination lawsuit for refusing to give a man with AIDS a license plate reading “HIV POS.”
“I expected to encounter some bigotry, but I didn’t expect it at the state DMV,” said Kevin Dimmick, 40, of Kensington, who filed his suit in federal court here.
Dimmick, leader of a support group for HIV-positive heterosexuals, was denied the personalized plate because it “would be offensive to a significant number of Californians and insensitive to many people with HIV,” said DMV spokesman Evan Nossoff.
Last year, the department withdrew a plate reading “HIV NEG” after receiving complaints.
“The California license plate is not the place to fight our culture’s rhetorical battles,” Nossoff said.
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