In a stunning display of insensitivity, a Utah driver recently found themselves at the center of a social media firestorm after their vanity license plate went viral. The offensive plate, which read “DEPORTM,” has sparked outrage across the state and drawn intense scrutiny towards the Utah Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and its approval process for personalized plates.
It all began when Matt Pacenza, a high school English teacher in Utah, spotted the controversial plate and took to Twitter to call out the DMV. His tweet, which asked, “Hey, Utah Driver License Division, how does this plate I just saw not violate your guidelines?”, quickly gained traction, with hundreds of people expressing their shock and disapproval.
The backlash was swift, with state officials quickly jumping into the fray. Senator Luz Escamilla expressed her concerns, stating that she was “upset that someone could drive around with such an offensive message.” She promptly scheduled the issue for review at the Utah Legislature’s administrative rules review committee meeting, where representatives from the Tax Commission and the DMV would be in attendance.
In response to the outcry, the DMV acknowledged that the plate was indeed real and had been approved back in 2015. However, the public information officer, Tammy Kikuchi, defended the agency’s stance, citing the state’s guidelines that prohibit “vulgar, derogatory, profane, or obscene” combinations, especially those expressing contempt for race, religion, or political affiliation.
