Brides usually stress about their attire, but one San Francisco bride didn't have that problem when she celebrated her naked wedding in public.
The bride and groom were married in their birthday suits on the steps of City Hall, then moved to the sidewalk where police stepped in to issue citations, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The idea of a naked wedding probably won't shock any San Francisco residents, but for a city stereotyped by its groovy vibes, it's not as lax about nudity laws.
San Francisco's Public Nudity Ban
In 2012, San Francisco lawmakers approved a ban on public nudity after locals began complaining about unsightly exposure -- especially on buses and in outdoor dining areas, reports The Associated Press. The law basically states that people must cover their genitals in public.
People opposing the nudity ban sued in federal court, arguing that their naked expressions were protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The challenge was ultimately unsuccessful, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Although freedom of expression gives people the ability to express their beliefs, ideas, thoughts, and emotions without government censorship, it has its limitations. The judge in the case opined, "In spite of what plaintiffs argue, nudity in and of itself is not inherently expressive."
Band of Gypsy and Friends
Even though nude activists were unable to stop the ban from taking effect, they took another shot at the law when the ban began to be enforced. Months before her nuptials, naked bride Gypsy Taub and four of her nudist friends filed a federal civil rights lawsuit challenging the ban, reports San Francisco's KPIX-TV.
The court hasen't yet ruled on Taub's lawsuit, but if she and her fellow nudists get their way, we may be seeing more naked weddings in San Francisco.
As for Taub's naked wedding last week, law-enforcement officers exercised leniency by letting Taub and Jaymz Smith get married and have their first dance in front of City Hall (which, in the City and County of San Francisco, is technically the sheriff's department's jurisdiction, the Chronicle explains). Cops only issued citations after the party moved onto the police-patrolled sidewalk.
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Related Resources:
- Naked Wedding At San Francisco City Hall Ends In Arrest (NSFW) (The Huffington Post)
- San Francisco Takes 1st Step Toward Public-Nudity Ban (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Topless Woman Sues NYPD Over Arrest in City Park (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- Fla. Man's Indecent Exposure Defense: Genitals Too Small to See(FindLaw's Legally Weird)
