Alabama to Recall 'NoHomo' License Plate

A custom license plate bearing an antigay message slipped through the state of Alabama's review process, but now the state plans to recall it, reports the Associated Press. 

The pink "Fight Breast Cancer" vanity license plate, which reads "NoHomo" (with zeroes in place of the letter O), was reportedly issued in 2010 in Montgomery County, notes the AP. 

The state of Alabama was made aware of the problematic plate after facilities manager Scott Johnston saw the plate in an Atlanta parking lot Monday and shared a photo of the black Ford Mustang with LGBT outlets The New Civil Rights Movement and ThinkProgress. National media, including The Advocate, soon picked up the story, and the photo promptly went viral. 

ThinkProgress editor Zack Ford Monday contacted the Alabama Department of Revenue, which issues and reviews vanity license plates. At the time, a spokeswoman for the department said the state prohibits license plates that include "anything explicit, any profanity, or vulgar language."

That same spokeswoman, Amanda Collier, told the AP Thursday afternoon that a three-member panel within the department reviews an estimated 4,000 requests for  custom plates each month, and the "NoHomo" plate was not flagged as a result of "human error." Collier said the review panel uses a dictionary updated with the latest slang when reviewing plates and that such a recall is extremely rare. 

The Department of Revenue has sent a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle, informing them of the state's intent to recall the license plate, the AP reports. The owner can appeal that decision.