He went on an epic quest — to get a driver’s license photo while wearing a colander
Pastafarianism is a religion whose adherents believe the world was created by a giant flying spaghetti monster, or FSM for short.
OK, not really. Pastafarians, as they call themselves, only came into existence around 2005, after a controversial school board decision in Kansas to teach creationism in public schools led activists to create a satire religion that they argue should be given all the same rights as other religions.
But as The Atlantic has reported, the religion has quickly become more than a joke and now has some fierce advocates who believe their beliefs, no matter how sarcastic or ridiculous, should not be dismissed by the government.
Sean Corbett, of Chandler, Arizona, is one such devotee. And he is so committed to the cause that he has spent more than two years on a mission. That mission is simple: to get his driver’s license photo taken while wearing a spaghetti strainer on his head.
Corbett finally succeeded recently after visiting multiple Motor Vehicle Department locations and being turned away by government employees, who he says harassed him, according to the Arizona Republic.
“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 told the Republic.
“They got angry at me and treated me with such disrespect.”
Corbett first attempted the stunt in 2014 as a joke, but as time has gone on, he told KPNX, he came to see it as a point of principle.
“It's all about the fight,” he said. “Everybody has the right to express themselves. Choose their own religion and they don't have to conform to a religion that the Arizona Department of Transportation thinks is acceptable.”
However, Corbett’s determination was also potentially detrimental to his job: He drives for ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft.
Recently, Corbett attempted to get his photo with the colander one more time, and although the person taking the photo dubiously told him it would have to be reviewed, he finally got his official Arizona license, complete with strainer, per ABC 15.
His victory, though, could be short-lived, as the MVD told multiple outlets that Corbett’s license had been issued in error and that the government would be canceling it soon.
“MVD license and ID photos are meant to show a person’s typical daily appearance and allow for religious expression or medical needs. Photos are filtered through facial recognition technology and if an error occurs, the photo can be recalled,” the department said in a statement to KPNX.
But Corbett isn’t backing down. He told ABC 15 he is planning legal action to retain his photo.
This story was originally published June 3, 2017 at 9:15 PM with the headline "He went on an epic quest — to get a driver’s license photo while wearing a colander."