Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 13:51:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Rex Wockner Subject: NC3834: "2 Dykes" update ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 09:29:37 -0400 (EDT) From:ScoutDC@aol.com To: rwockner@netcom.com Subject: Re: NC3794: 2 Dykes license-plate hearing Thank you very much for your note in support of our fight to retain our 2 DYKES license plates. It's great, so far we've gotten over 70 emails confirming that we're clearly using dyke as a positive, not a negative term. We had our hearing at the Virginia DMV on Thursday. They presented their case (which any good lawyer would have noted had no information that dyke is a derogatory term), we presented ours, and they will decide the outcome in 4 weeks. Meanwhile, they've allowed us until June 9th to submit additional evidence (such as more emails) that dyke is clearly used positively. The crux of their argument is that if members (gay or straight) of the general population know dyke as a negative term, then they aren't given enough context on the license plate to understand that we may mean it as anything other than negative. We say "bunk!" (Well, that's a word I haven't worked into conversation in a while.) Anyone can see we're using it as a positive affirming statement. They then quoted an editorial from the Richmond Times-Dispatch saying we were wrong, dyke, and all the other derogatory slang terms for subpopulations should be kept off plates, the DMV should not bow to "shock tactics for desensitization." Shees, didn't know the plate had that much power. So that's the skinny, we stand waiting for the outcome. Since we can still submit additional "evidence" in our favor, please pass on the word that supportive emails from more people would be great, they can just send them to me at ... scoutdc@aol.com Save 2 DYKES! Thanks again for your support. (And thank you to the country of Australia, you guys responded in force... it got to the point where we just kept repeating "and there's another one from Australia" as we were reading the responses. Cool.)