Mass Woman Can Legally Wear Spaghetti Strainer In License Photo

A Massachusetts woman has fought for and won her right to wear a spaghetti strainer on her head in her license photo.

Lindsay Miller is a Pastafarian, also known as a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. And as a Pastafarian, she is encouraged to wear a colander in her official identification photo.

According to WCVB, first Miller's request to wear the strainer was denied by the Massachusetts RMV based on their regulation that

"A hat or other head cover is not acceptable, but if worn for medical or religious reasons, it may be allowed if it does not hide any facial features."

Miller filed an administrative appeal with the registry citing her First Amendment rights and stating that the strainer was worn for religious reasons and before the appeal was even heard, the colander was allowed.

So why the spaghetti strainer?

Pastafarians believe that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a powerful being and they credit the FSM with the invention of the lawn sprinkler.

Followers insist that the religion is not satirical or intended to be humorous, but rather based in science. They view the existence of a Flying Spaghetti Monster to be just as probable as the existence of the Christian God, according to an online post by the American Humanist Association, which assisted in Miller's dispute with the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

The also claim heaven is a place with a "beer volcano" and a "stripper factory."

I honestly don't know what any of that has to do with a spaghetti strainer hat, but Miller likes to wear one and has been allowed to do just that in her license photo.

She released a statement saying

As a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, I feel delighted that my Pastafarianism has been respected by the Massachusetts RMV."