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.

Boulder nudists, naked pumpkin runners, nude bikers and others who want to disrobe in public can now be ticketed by police for violating a city law that bans public nudity.

In a 6-3 vote, the Boulder City Council approved a proposal to extend the city's anti-nudity laws and give police a new charge to ticket under.

The new municipal code makes it illegal for people over the age of 10 to show their genitals in public or on private property where it's obvious to passersby. It does not ban women from going topless in public.

Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner and District Attorney Stan Garnett both support the measure and told the council they need an alternative to stricter state laws for situations such as streaking, the annual Naked Pumpkin Run or the World Naked Bike Ride.

The council decided to enact the rules immediately, rather than wait for a bill being considered at the Colorado statehouse to move forward.

House Bill 1334 gained approval by the state House of Representatives last week. The bill would change the penalties and definitions for several offenses involving public nudity, which some council members argued would do essentially the same thing as Boulder's ordinance.

But others, including Garnett, said the state law is too strong in that it requires anyone convicted of more than one instance of public indecency to register as a sex offender.

US soul singer Erykah Badu has paid a $500 (£322) fine and will serve six months' probation for stripping naked on a Dallas street for a music video.

She ended filming by re-enacting the moment when President John F Kennedy was shot dead in 1963 in the city.

The singer was charged with disorderly conduct when a few tourists complained.

In March, the star performed a walking striptease as part of the video for Window Seat, before falling to the ground as if she has been shot. The filming took place at Dealey Plaza, the location where President Kennedy was assassinated.

Last Sunday afternoon, two dozen women and their supporters converged on Venice Beach, California, for a very unusual demonstration. All the women were topless – while the men sported bikini tops.

The march was organised by GoTopless, a US campaign for women to have the same constitutional right to be bare-chested in public places as men. Its members are committed to helping women perceive their breasts as noble, natural parts of their anatomy, and the demonstration had been organised for late August apparently not just because of the hot weather, but to make a feminist point. Campaigners noted that it was in August 1920 that women in the US were given the right to vote, and even in the 21st century, women need to stand up and demand that equality in fact – not just in words.