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Portland man Jay Bishop wears a cable knit hat that resembles an orange and cream fox head. He wears it every day, including the day last summer that he went in to renew his driver's license.
At the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles, Bishop cited religious reasons for exemption from the ban against hats and other facial gear, which can hinder facial recognition in official license photos.
As WW's news partner KATU-TV first reported last week, Bishop fought for more than 9 months to wear the hat in his photo—and won.
Bishop cited the Washat religion, commonly known as the Drummer-Dreamer or Seven Drums faith, which is rooted in a Native American belief system held by Nez Perce tribes.
Among other customs, this contemporary revival of tradition includes drum ceremonies, vision quests and a fundamental belief in the connection between man and nature. Each individual has an animal totem, according to Bishop, whose own totem is the fox.
According to spokesperson David House, the DMV was unfamiliar with the Washat faith. The state office denied the renewal of Bishop's license when the application reached them last summer.
"We hadn't heard of it, and that's why we questioned it in the first place," House said.
Bishop appealed this denial with Salem-based lawyer Bradley Steinman, and was eventually granted approval.
"The only information we have came from Bishop himself, but he said that the hat was religiously necessary," House said. "So we accepted the photo."
Bishop tells KATU his fight strikes a blow for religious freedom.
"It shouldn't matter if it's a yarmulke, or a hijab, or, quote, 'a silly fox hat,' as the man at the DMV wants to call it," Bishop says.
Here's the KATU report, which aired Thursday.
Willamette Week