Critical Posteriors

On Saturday, June 12, upward of 50 near-nude bicyclists rode a loop from Hillcrest to the courthouses in downtown, drawing attention from tourists and locals. Many of the riders wore just enough clothing to cover their genitalia (and, in the females’ case, their nipples) in order to comply with the City's anti-public-nudity ordinance. Some wore flesh-colored “skin suits” that made them appear naked from afar.

The riders were accompanied by patrol cars and the sounds of whistles and cameras. Many of the tourists who stopped to watch the procession had no clue of what the naked ride was in protest of. Some speculated that it had something to do with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, though they couldn't make the connection to the nude riders.

The World Naked Bike Ride is an event that has been staged in 70 cities and 20 countries. According to worldnakedbikeride.org: “We face automobile traffic with our naked bodies as the best way of defending our dignity and exposing the unique dangers faced by cyclists and pedestrians as well as negative consequences we all face due to dependence on oil, and other forms of non-renewable energy.”