SF Passes Public Nudity Ban

It's about genitals, Wiener explains
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 21, 2012 1:04 AM CST
SF Passes Public Nudity Ban
San Francisco's "Naked Guys" will have to cover up by early next year if the mayor approves the ban.   (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

San Francisco's streets should no longer be clothing-optional, the city's Board of Supervisors has decided. The board voted 6-5 in favor of a measure to ban public nudity, though it includes exemptions for some beaches and for events like the Pride Parade, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Bare butts will also be allowed. "This legislation is really about genitals," explained ban author Supervisor Scott Wiener. "I'm not looking to get anyone arrested because they are showing a plumber's crack or wearing a bikini."

The ban passed despite strong opposition from those who said it went against the city's character. "I'm concerned about civil liberties, about free speech, about changing San Francisco's style and how we are as a city," said one of the supervisors who voted against the ban. "I cannot and will not bite this apple and I refuse to put on this fig leaf." If the ban passes a second vote and is approved by the mayor, public nudity will become punishable by a $100 fine for the first offense by early next year. (More San Francisco stories.)

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