Wednesday, October 03, 2012

San Fran. Law Ensures Nudity at Parades, Festivals

Public nudity by gay men in San Francisco used to be for "special occasions," but now with naked men on the streets every day, public officials want to outlaw exposure of genitals and buttocks to only specifically-sanctioned public displays of debauchery.
"I don't believe this behavior would be tolerated by the police if they were doing it in Dianne Feinstein's or Nancy Pelosi's neighborhood."
-- Cleve Jones, San Francisco resident
 For background, read Public Sex in the Streets of San Francisco and also read San Fran. Police Observe Sanctioned Public Sex Fest


-- From "Legislation seeks to clothe Castro's naked guys" by Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle 10/2/12

Nudity would remain legal at street fairs, festivals and parades - and thus, the Folsom Street Fair, Bay to Breakers and the Gay Pride Parade could remain as flesh-filled as ever. The legislation also wouldn't affect nudity at public beaches or on private property.

"I don't see a reason for banning [public nudity]," [a nude man] said. "People who don't want to look just turn the other way. Most people just walk by like I'm a streetlight."

[City Supervisor Scott Wiener] said he has seen the naked guys publicly wearing genital jewelry designed to stimulate arousal. He's heard reports from others that the naked guys have publicly engaged in sexual touching and charge tourists $5 to take pictures with them.

Currently, San Francisco bans nudity only in parks and restaurants and on port property.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "SF Supervisor Proposes New Fines For Public Nudity, Mayor Approves" posted at CBS News Sacramento 10/3/12

[Wiener] said, “Our neighborhood has had a general tolerance” for the nudists, but their numbers have gone “well beyond what is acceptable” and “public opinion in our neighborhood has shifted.”

Last year, the board approved legislation that banned nudity in restaurants and outlawed sitting on benches or other public seating without first placing clothing or other material atop the seat first.

State law only bans “lewd” behavior, which courts have interpreted to exclude simple nudity, according to Wiener’s office. Other Bay Area cities, including Berkeley and San Jose, have already enacted similar public nudity bans, he said.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Proposed Ban on Public Nudity Offends Some in San Francisco" by Geoffrey A. Fowler and Vauhini Vara, Wall Street Journal 10/3/12


"This is, in my opinion, an attack on freedom," said George Davis, 66 years old, who was soaking up the sun Tuesday wearing nothing more than sunglasses and a hat, reading a book about Twitter, the microblogging service. As one of the Castro's famous nudists, "I meet people from all over the world," he said, including South Korea, France and Liechtenstein.

Some argued a ban would mark a slippery slope for the city. "Today it is naked people, and next week it will be drag queens, and then the week after that it will be people who wear leather," said Mitch Hightower, 51, who organizes an annual "nude-in" body freedom demonstration in the city and runs an exhibitionist website.

"If only they looked better, it would be great," said Tom Moore, bartender at the Twin Peaks bar in front of the Castro plaza, which doesn't let the naked people inside.

Josh Moreno, manager at the Hot Cookie shop on Castro Street, said he had no problem with the naked guys, including in his cookie store. "We don't discriminate against people based on their appearance," he said. "We shouldn't be focusing our taxpayer dollars to ban something that is just natural."

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.