SF nudity ban may soon force nudists in San Francisco to wear some clothes and not walk around in their birthday suit.
San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener proposed legislation Tuesday banning the exposure of genitals or buttocks on all city sidewalks, plazas, parklets, streets and public transit, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The Castro District is infamous for having many nudist walking around in the little neighborhood square.
Public nudity is currently legal in San Francisco, as long as the naked person is not sexually aroused. California law doesn't specifically ban nudity, but it does prohibit "lewd acts." Other Bay Area municipalities, like Berkeley and Marin County, have passed their own nudity bans.
The SF nudity ban - which has the support of Mayor Ed Lee - wouldn't apply to public beaches, private property, street fairs, festivals or parades. Violators would be fined $100 for the first offense and $200 for the second in a one-year period. A third offense could warrant either a $500 fine or misdemeanor citation.
"While most people in San Francisco, myself included, have no problem with occasional public nudity, we've seen a shift in public attitude because of the over-the-top situation at Jane Warner Plaza and elsewhere in the Castro," said Wiener in a statement.
"Until recently, public nudity in our city was mostly limited to various street festivals and beaches as well as the occasional naked person wandering the streets. What's happening now is different. Jane Warner Plaza is the only usable public space in the Castro and serves as the neighborhood's town square. Use of this small but important space as a near-daily nudist colony, while fun for the nudists, is anything but for the neighborhood as a whole."
"This plaza and this neighborhood are for everyone, and the current situation alienates both residents and visitors," he added. "We are a tolerant neighborhood and city, but there are limits."
