Vancouver says no Pirate Hats in ID photos, again

The fight continues. Vancouver’s ICBC department says Pirate Hats and Colanders are not acceptable religious headwear. Gary Smith of the Church of FSM of British Columbia has been battling the department for some time. I’m sure all of us are looking forward to the time when this department respects religious freedom.

“Ultimately, religion is a choice,” said Smith, the Canadian representative with the International Pastafarians’ Captains Conclave. “But not so much for members of a certain sect.”

ICBC doesn’t see it that way.

“We have advised Mr. Smith on numerous occasions that we do not recognize him as a member of a religious group that requires accommodation in the context of a service customarily available to the public under the British Columbia Human Rights Code,” ICBC said in a Jan. 24 statement to Glacier Media.

VancouverIsAwesome

Please check out Jeremy Hainsworth’s excellent article about the dispute here at VancouverIsAwesome.