Boulder DA Wants to Make Streaking Illegal

Any sane person knows that it's sheer stupidity to force streakers to register as sex offenders. Under current Colorado law, anyone caught running nude in public could be forced to register as a sex offender, and Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett wants to make streaking and other "Pumpkin Run-type behavior" a petty offense instead of a class 1 misdemeanor.

Don't let this fool you - streaking is a harmless prank, a bit of devil-may-care fun, and should not be any type of crime.

Judd Golden, chairman of the American Civil Liberties Union's Boulder chapter, said his organization doesn't believe that public nudity -- by itself -- should be against the law at all.

"That is regressive," he said. "It's going back to the Victorian days when body parts were considered immoral."

If a person runs nude through a football game, Golden said, he or she should be charged with disrupting a public event. If a naked person walks into traffic, he or she should be charged with obstruction.

"But our position is that public nudity in and of itself -- absent aggravating circumstances -- should not be a criminal offense," he said.

Boulder Police Kill Naked Pumpkin Run

The threats of arrest for indecent exposure apparently worked because only three people were reported to have participated in Boulder's annual Naked Pumpkin Run, and they were not nude. Officers were reported to have descended on the area when they heard of the three runners.

Some used their costumes to poke fun at the police, including two people wearing jack-o-lanterns on their heads in reference to the Naked Pumpkin Run of recent years and SWAT vests over their shirts.

Michael May and Gerry Callejo carried naked, inflatable men with jack-o-lanterns on their heads and a sign reading "Free the Pumpkins" on their backs. Beckner, watching from nearby, cracked a wry smile.

"The absurdity of how the police reacted needs to be mocked," May said later.

Tickets Issued at Boulder's Naked Pumpkin Run

Police issued tickets for indecent exposure at Boulder's 10th Annual Naked Pumpkin Run because the huge crowd threatened to "get out of hand". Hundreds of costumed revelers started chanting “Let them go!” and telling officers to “find real criminals.”

Sorry, but I fail to see how a police crackdown on nude runners is an effective means to quiet a rowdy crowd. In this case it apparently just riled them up even more, and could have resulted in someone being hurt, or worse. Better to set up a police presence and let the runners have their fun. After all, it's not really indecent exposure if nobody is offended, is it? All the tickets that were issued should be challenged.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Daily Newds 10/30/08

• After Gok Wan's Miss Naked Beauty parade, one finalist felt "degraded, confused, and very, very tearful."
• A New Zealand naturist club's open house brought in zero new members. It is also reported that memberships are dropping at all naturist clubs across the country.
• "Naked Las Vegas" is a new book which shows people from all walks of life both with and without clothing. "The book is about comparing. Compare the homeless guy to the CEO," (photographer Gary) Friedler says of two people in the book. "See how they're alike and how they're different. Naked, they're equals. But you put the clothes on and they take on completely different roles. And people respond to that very differently."
• An advice columnist agrees with a 15 year-old boy that his sister's penchant for home nudity is "inappropriate", and that there is no room for discussion on the matter.
• Please stop referring to creepy people like this one as "naturists".
• Are you ready for Boulder's 9th annual Naked Pumpkin Run on Friday?
• A new book by photographer Naomi Harris explores the world of the swinger's lifestyle in America. The article is accompanied by 14 photos which resemble many nudist images but with sexual activity added to the mix. Is nudism simply too tame for people now in our pornography infested world?

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Playing "Doctor"

Boulder investigators are looking into an "incident" involving a 6 year-old boy and an 11 year-old girl who apparently took nude photos of each other with a cell phone.

According to the police report, (police spokeswoman Sarah) Huntley said, the incident happened in June when the children were playing outside one of their homes in Boulder. They took photographs of each other partially or entirely naked on the 11-year-old girl's cell phone, Huntley said.

One of the parents found the pictures, she said.

The YMCA official had a legal obligation to report it to the principal, and the principal was obligated to contact police, Huntley said. Officers have notified the Boulder County Department of Social Services, and detectives will follow up with the agency.

"If it was determined the pictures led to some behavior, we could investigate that," Huntley said.

Detectives? These are children! It's normal for kids to "play doctor". It's healthy curiosity to want to see what real bodies look like. A clinical psychologist agrees:

Playing doctor is a normal behavior in children, especially pre-school children who have not yet received the school-based warnings about personal and body privacy. While children may be touching and looking, it’s more curiosity than anything else. It does tell us that they are at a stage where they are curious about these body parts — so it’s time to talk to them about body privacy.

Yes, talk to them. This is not a crime. Can't they just give kids cell phones that don't have cameras? They will still be curious and experiment but at least there won't be photographic evidence to throw prudish adults into hysteria. Dr. Christine Todd offers some advice to parents who discover their children engaging in sexual behavior:

In an insightful article on this topic, Dr. Maria Sauzier (1984) suggests providers ask themselves five questions about the behavior. First, is it age-appropriate? It is very common for two-year-olds to walk around the house with their hands in their shorts. However, most five-year-olds should know better. Second, how prolonged is the behavior? If a child constantly engages in sexual play and never moves on to other topics, there may be more cause for concern. Third, can the child handle the feelings they are experiencing? Play is characterized by laughter and light-heartedness. Little girls often giggle as they raise their skirts over their heads. If children who engage in sexual play look anxious or guilty, or become extremely aroused, it is probably time to give the matter more attention. Fourth, is there any sign of one child forcing another to engage in sexual play through bribes, name-calling, or physical force? If so, this requires immediate attention. Finally, does the child know more than you feel is normal at this age? It is very unusual for a preschool child to imitate intercourse. This may indicate the child has witnessed or been exposed to adult sexuality.

Better add cell phone photos to the list, too.

Look, the 5 year age difference between the children is somewhat troubling, but it should be up to the parents to work things out. Unless the 11 year-old was abusing or forcing the younger child to pose for the photos, this is just kids being kids, and the police have no business investigating the sexual development of children.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked