Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, June 27, 2012
City Sunbathing Ladies Take Note: Nudity Is Not Illegal in Seattle
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 2:56 PM
Hear ye, hear ye, women of Seattle: Since writing a few weeks ago that going topless in Seattle isn't a crime (in and of itself), I've been contacted by a few women who claim they've been harassed by Seattle police for appearing topless in public, most notably while sunbathing at Dykiki beach.
Seattle doesn't have its own indecent exposure law—police enforce state policy. Here's a handy explanation of the state law, courtesy of SPD's own blog:
Washington’s indecent exposure law makes it a misdemeanor to “make any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm.” In other words, there must be lewd or obscene behavior for an officer to take action. In order for the police to make an arrest, we must have witnesses currently in the public place where the nudity is occurring who must make a complaint. These witnesses must be willing to appear in court. Also in order to prosecute, the burden is on the government to prove that the offender was knowingly aware that their conduct created alarm and offense of others.
Obviously, there are plenty of people willing to be both naked and obscene in public at the same time. I'm not talking about those people. I'm addressing all the salt-of-the-earth nudists out there, the women who simply want to strip off their top and work on their farmer's tan from time to time. The long and short for these women is: Exposing your breasts isn't obscene unless you also happen to be gyrating on a mechanical bull or milking yourself (for fun, not babies) or something.
NSFW image and business card after the jump...
- Free and breezy feels so fine...
However! Police and normal folk alike can be unreasonable dicks when it comes to women and the daily choices they make with their bodies. And, frankly, no one likes arguing (least of all with cops) whilst topless. It feels a little too vulnerable. So, here's a handy business-card (YAY4BOOBS.pdf), courtesy of me and the perennially awesome Mary Traverse, that you can print out and slip into your wallet to flash at anyone who hassles you.
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Calling the cops on boobs is just wrong on so many levels.
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I recall a nice sunny afternoon at a very calm discreet location not far from Dykiki Beach, which is a known nudist beach. A gentleman swam out a bit beyond his abilities and got stuck at the buoy. A police boat eventually came by, hauled him aboard (nude), helped him warm up a bit, gave him a ticket for swimming where he shouldn't, and then said (as he reported to the rest of us - after the cops had looked as sternly at us as they could from 20 meters out) "We're going to have to do something about that beach." Clearly indicating they were opposed to nude people being nude amongst themselves, and bothering no one. Why should they care? Morality police much?
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