An Arizona man successfully managed to take his driver’s license photo sporting a kitchen colander on his head in the name of religious liberty, but state officials say that they will void his license.
Sean Corbett, a 36-year-old resident of Chandler, Calif. and follower of the Pastafarian, has been trying for years to obtain a driver’s license photo with the pasta strainer on his head, and claims to have done so to make a point about the need to respect all beliefs.
“I think it really drives in the point that if you’re going to include one, you have to include all,” Corbett said of Pastafarianism, a religion initially intended as a satirical critique of schools teaching intelligent design. “You have to respect everybody’s beliefs if you’re going to respect one.”
Corbett’s statement may be cut short, however, as Arizona state officials say that they intend to void his license. Doug Nick, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Transportation, said in a statement that Corbett’s photo contradicts the purpose of a license photo.
“MVD license and ID photos are meant to show a person’s typical daily appearance and allow for religious expression or medical needs,” Nick said. “We will go through the process to pull this credential,” Nick added regarding Corbett’s ID.
“I’m going to fight it. They have no valid reason to void it,” Corbett said. By fighting to keep his license photo valid, Corbett hopes to open the door for others to have their photos taken while wearing their respective religious garb.
“I was scorned at every location I went to, and they put out a memo about me, so by the time I got to [the] fourth and fifth MVD, they stopped me at the door,” Corbett said. “They got angry at me and treated me with such disrespect.”
Corbett intended the stunt to make a statement about religious persecution, although he admits it started as an idea for a prank.
“Initially it may have started off as, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if I could get a spaghetti strainer in my picture? That would be boss,’ but if you look at what’s going on in the world today, people being persecuted for religious beliefs, maybe it’s time to take a step back and say, ‘You know what? You shouldn’t be persecuted for your religion'” Corbett said.
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