(Indiana Youth Group)
Bil Browning at the
Bilerico Project has been following a relatively small, but interesting story in great state of Indiana. It's another dispatch in the Republican party's Holy War on Sanity and distractions from things of importance (you know, like jobs and the economy?). This time the great threat to society is a speciality license plate.
The specialty plate (see above) is sponsored by the Indiana Youth Group which describes their mission as thus:
Indiana Youth Group (IYG) provides safe places and confidential environments where self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth are empowered through programs, support services, social and leadership opportunities and community service. IYG advocates on their behalf in schools, in the community and through family support services.
The plate was available for an additional $40 over normal registration fees, and displayed the group's logo and communicated support for the group's goals of supporting and empowering LGBT youth.
It began to attract the attention of the Indiana legislature, who tried to gather support for a legislative block of the plate. Having tried and failed to pass a bill through the state senate and house, opponents tacked to another goal, targeting them for violating their contract.
Twenty Republican Senators sent a letter (PDF) to the Commissioner of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Scott Waddell complaining IYG was making low-digit license plates available on their website. This is a violation of state contract.
However, Graig Lubsen, communications director for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles spoke to the press about the dust-up before any decision was made (emphasis mine):
Lubsen said the contract bars groups from auctioning or selling the plates. But he added that traditionally, the BMV has allowed group to give out low-numbered plates as thank-you gifts to donors.
The IYG had filed a lawsuit to win its specialty license plate after repeatedly meeting the state requirements yet being denied. It now has a five-year contract for the plate, and currently is the highest-selling plate among the 10 the state awarded this year. As of Wednesday, 588 IYG plates had been purchased. The next highest-seller among the new groups was 251 for the Tony Stewart Foundation with the smallest number, 15, sold by the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police Foundation.
The plate was suspended a week later. Lubsen's admission to the press is interesting for two reasons.
One, Lubsen has admitted that the Indiana Youth Group is being subjected to a capricious and higher standard than other groups. Hmmm. Why do you suppose?
Two, communications director Lubsen has since been fired, from WISH-TV:
Graig Lubsen was a spokesman for the BMV who last week told a reporter that someone from the Senate had contacted the BMV about cancelling the youth group license plate. He told 24 Hour News 8 that he was fired the next day. Lubsen declined an on camera interview.
Media reports are mixed on whether Lubsen resigned on Thursday or was fired, no one seems to be giving a reason for the separation. Did he perhaps go off script in his communiques?
Additionally, from Bilerico:
The BMV has not said whether they will look at other groups who've done the same thing in the past and decide whether or not they should keep their plates.
As
John Aravosis points out, these regressive Republicans in their zeal to go after anyone, gay kids, Girl Scouts, single moms, may well have set the state of Indiana up for a civil rights lawsuit. Hoosier state progressive blogger Doug Masson, wrote about this in what he calls their
"Gay License Plate Obsession." Masson, an attorney himself says "I love the smell of an equal protection lawsuit in the morning. Smells like victory."
And Lubsen's eventual testmony may be key.