The
town of Boulder in Colorado gets all het up by the streakers of the annual
Pumpkin Run on Halloween.
A public-nudity law is now being considered by the Boulder City
Council would expand the definition of being naked to include exposing
the female nipple, and it would make it a municipal offense to be naked
in public places or view.
After years of debate about how to deal with people who streak as a
prank or participate in events like the annual World Naked Bike Ride and
the Halloween night Naked Pumpkin Run, Boulder is now seeking to expand
the ban on public nudity to the entire city, while also expanding its
definition of nudity.
The Public Nudity Prohibited ordinance would apply to anyone
older than 10 who exposes any portion of his or her private parts,
including the areola of a female breast. Tickets would carry a fine of
up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail.
The rules would not apply to people who enjoy going au naturale
inside their own homes -- so long as it's not obvious to passers-by --
or sunbathers in backyards. Women who are breastfeeding in public would
also be exempt, along with people in dressing rooms, shower rooms,
bathrooms or other enclosed areas where nudity is permitted.
Judd Golden, chairman of the Boulder County chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union, disagreed and said that the law would go too far:
They are deciding that anyone who is in a state of undress must be
committing a crime. He said people who are naked for some sort of
sexual purpose, such as exposing themselves to children, are committing
a crime that's already covered under state laws. Other people, like
streakers who run across sports fields, people who ride bicycles naked
or run nude on Halloween, should be arrested or ticketed based on their
behavior -- not because of a lack of clothing, Golden said: Let's
look at the actual conduct and decide if there is a public interest in
criminalizing that or no. This non-sexual prankster stuff
shouldn't be against the law.
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