INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Indiana GOP Lawmakers are rushing to revive a bill that targeted specialty auto license plates before the scheduled end of the legislative session on Friday.
The original bill, according to its sponsor, State Sen. Ed Soliday (R) was to “stop the proliferation of specialty plates,” and to force a public accounting of how the various groups who benefit from the plates spend monies raised from the plate sales.
But after a public outcry — accusing Soliday and other GOP lawmakers of catering to the demands of conservatives angered by one plate that benefited an LGBT youth group — Soliday withdrew the bill last month, and said, “the thing just became political.”
GOP lawmakers now intend to insert the language of Soliday’s bill as an amendment to another bill which deals with motor vehicle issues, reported the Indianapolis Star.
Critics charge that the effort is aimed at killing a recently approved specialty license plate that features the logo of the Indiana Youth Group, an Indianapolis-based group that supports children in the LGBT community. The group’s volunteers travel throughout the state providing support for often-troubled adolescents.
The Legislature’s Democrats are angered by what they call an improper end-run about legislative rules and traditions, aimed at pacifying the state’s conservative voters and Republican constituents enraged LGBT group’s plates.
Mary Byrne, executive director of the Indiana Youth Group, said she was not surprised the issue has new life.
“I really felt like it was dead, but knowing the extent these people will go to to take this license plate away from us, I guess I’m not surprised,” Byrne said.
The specialty plates at issue feature the logo of the Indiana Youth Group, an Indianapolis-based group that supports children in the LGBT community. The group’s volunteers travel throughout the state providing support for often-troubled adolescents.
Filed under: Indiana
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Will the GOP just get a freakin’ life already?
Cuz they have nothing else to do.
Indeed. Living here sucks.
Damn Antichrists. SMH
Umm…. WHY???
can’t help but think all this GOP hatred comes from misguided repression,sexual and otherwise…kinda sad,really
The way my phone is set up, the headline just read “indiana gop lawmakers revive effort to kill gay youth”… so after that frightening moment I didn’t find the actual article so bad at all….
How pathetic does Indiana have to get? Lets not forget that the youth are our future, why shouldn’t troubled LGBTQ youth get that help? If Indiana’s GOP wants to be so full of hate, ignorance, and bigotry, I say let them They aren’t going to hold me down for being who I am. My suggestion for anyone wanting to get this plate, send the organization themselves $40, then they get the full $40 and not just $25……..or give more :-D
don’t they have something better to do then this. omg. they are ignorant hateful people
Indiana…Once the great northern bastion of the KKK….
For crap sakes get an effrontery life! You have bigger problems than gay youth group license plates! Like one of the highest unemployment numbers in the nation. Yeah….Indiana is where I wanna be……rriigghhttt!
give the money directly to the organization and keep money out of this hate filled bigoted state. Stop whining about a plate that only gives 25.00 of a 40.00 fee to own that plate to the organization in question. You want to show pride? Go to a GLBTQ friendly/owned store and get a rainbow sticker. You get to help GLBTQ buisness and the organization with the added benefit of not putting money in to a state that doesnt support any of us. Stand together and fight!
you rock Anastasia
That is wrong!
because that’s so important.
obviousl they have nothing better to do like represent All the people in their states. Jerks!!
They want to hide us; hope we’re invisible to society via our cars.
Why the hell am I not surprised? I’m surprised gays can still get married in Iowa. I’m STILL surprised gays were allowed to marry in Iowa BEFORE they were allowed to marry in New York!
Why cant ppl just chill out and keep there heads up their asses where they belong.