naturist laws by town / state

[Guest]

I just read an article about teens going nude in Brattleboro, VT. Is this story true? If so, how cool is that?! Is it really true that public nudity is legal in this town? And are women really allowed to go topless in NY?

This leads me to wonder: Is there an easy way to research the laws regarding public nudity in specific towns and states? I've assumed public nudity is outlawed everywhere, but hell . . . if I can walk the streets of Brattleboro naked, or those in my own town, why not?

I could research state & town ordinances, but does a master list exist somewhere?

[Guest]

I just read an article about teens going nude in Brattleboro, VT. Is this story true? If so, how cool is that?! Is it really true that public nudity is legal in this town? And are women really allowed to go topless in NY?

This leads me to wonder: Is there an easy way to research the laws regarding public nudity in specific towns and states? I've assumed public nudity is outlawed everywhere, but hell . . . if I can walk the streets of Brattleboro naked, or those in my own town, why not?

I could research state & town ordinances, but does a master list exist somewhere?

[naturalmanwa]

Yes there is. I cannot remember the website right now, but I am sure someone on the forum will post it.

[NakedGary]

One might think its cool now but the teens should cool it in public parking lots down town. As soon as the township changes the ordinance this will be another permanent strike against plain non-sexual nudity and a poster child for hundreds of other towns where plain simple nudity will be taken off the books as being legal.

This township sets an example to the public and media world wide. Leave well enough alone.

[Daveinct]

quote:

Originally posted by NakedGary:
One might think its cool now but the teens should cool it in public parking lots down town. As soon as the township changes the ordinance this will be another permanent strike against plain non-sexual nudity and a poster child for hundreds of other towns where plain simple nudity will be taken off the books as being legal.

This township sets an example to the public and media world wide. Leave well enough alone.

At one point, the town of Wilmington, VT (where the Ledges, a poplular skinny dipping spot, is located) banned public nudity due to the complaints of a few. In short order, a second vote was held, and the ban was overturned. Perhaps you shouldn't automatically assume that Brattleboro will enact a ban. After all, Vermont residents are not opposed to public nudity enough to enact a statewide law banning it.

Dave C.

[John P]

The second vote in Wilmington was desperately close, and certainly not a sign that we never need to worry about liberal states like Vermont. The issue there was never much to do with nudity anyway, but there was the perception that a nude beach is a place where the outlaws hang out, and that The Ledges was being used as a gathering point for gay men looking for sex. There was plenty of argument among naturists at the time about how much of this was a genuine issue and how much it was being exaggerated, or just plain fabricated, by people who had motives to get the beach closed to nudity.

As far as I can tell the Brattleboro kids are just getting naked, pure and simple, and if that's all they're doing, I wouldn't expect it to lead to trouble. The weather's already turning cold, and that'll solve the problem, if it is a problem.

[Daveinct]

quote:

Originally posted by John P:
The second vote in Wilmington was desperately close, and certainly not a sign that we never need to worry about liberal states like Vermont. The issue there was never much to do with nudity anyway, but there was the perception that a nude beach is a place where the outlaws hang out, and that The Ledges was being used as a gathering point for gay men looking for sex. There was plenty of argument among naturists at the time about how much of this was a genuine issue and how much it was being exaggerated, or just plain fabricated, by people who had motives to get the beach closed to nudity.

As far as I can tell the Brattleboro kids are just getting naked, pure and simple, and if that's all they're doing, I wouldn't expect it to lead to trouble. The weather's already turning cold, and that'll solve the problem, if it is a problem.

The first vote was also very close. My comment was not that we don't need to worry about it, but that an assumption should not be made that Brattleboro will ban nudity. The votes in Wilmington are evidence that would contradict an automatic assumption that nudity will be banned in Brattleboro.

Dave

[John P]

My point was that based on the Wilmington near-miss, people in Vermont don't think nudity is worth legislating against, but they'll consider a ban if the nudity is (or is claimed to be) related to sexual activity. Hence an attempt to ban nudity in Brattleboro would be unlikely.

On the other hand, The Ledges is in an outlying part of Wilmington, and the Brattleboro kids are somewhere downtown, if not exactly "on Main Street at noon". Would this be too much even in Vermont? It's a good thing autumn will be here soon so that question won't get answered.