Pastafarian can wear strainer on head in license photo

A woman who belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is allowed to wear a pasta strainer on her head in her driver's license photo due to religious beliefs, the AP reports.

Lowell, Mass., resident Lindsay Miller says wearing the colander allows her to express her beliefs, like other religions are allowed to do, according to AP.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a satirical movement promoting a lighthearted view of religion. Members of the church often are referred to as "Pastafarians."

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles says usually head coverings are not permitted for license photos, but exceptions are made for religious beliefs, AP reports.

Last year, a similar incident happened in Utah involving a former porn star who said she intended to make a statement and was allowed to wear a colander as a hat in her driver's license photo, The Spectrum reports.

At the time, Jessica Steinhauser, 41, was the fourth person in the USA to be allowed to wear the pasta strainer in an official photo and the first in Utah, said Bobby Henderson, the church's founder.

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster came out of a satirical open letter in 2005, protesting the Kansas State Board of Education's decision to allow teaching Intelligent Design as an alternative to evolution in public schools.

"We are not anti-religion," Henderson said. "We are anti-crazy nonsense done in the name of religion. There is a big difference. Our ideal is to scrutinize ideas and actions but ignore general labels."