World Naked Bike Ride
The World Naked Bike Ride usually means plenty of completely nude protesters, but not in San Diego. Unlike several other American cities which have allowed cyclists to ride naked, San Diego’s participants had to paint their bodies and cover their crotches. Several police units were on hand to enforce a city ordinance outlawing public nudity and to ensure public safety, but the protestors were determined to obey traffic laws and cover up the necessary bits of skin. The demonstration completed its 10-mile loop through San Diego’s Hillcrest neighborhood without much difficulty.
As Randy Dotinga reported for VoiceofSanDiego.org, event organizer Sarah Bush had issued a legal challenge to the nudity ban, which ultimately failed in a last-minute decision a federal appeals court. The issue at hand in the appeal was free speech, but as Dotinga reports in a follow-up article, free speech protections don’t include conduct, like riding bicycles naked.
World Naked Bike Ride San Diego – Images by Will Parson
