Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Topless males vs. topless females

Image by Rick Geary

Heymatt:
What is the difference in our culture between accepting topless males, versus topless females, in public? Is it a Puritan hangup? How about the stories about it being lawful for females to show their breasts in public in New York? Is it true? Are there any other places where it’s OK for females to go shirtless (and bra-less) in public other than Black’s Beach? I’m talking about public streets, parks, etc.
— Curious in Clairemont

Sponsored
Sponsored

Oh, I wish I could pass this one off as “it’s complicated,” because it truly is. I’ll attempt to offer some elucidation on the matter, but I must warn you, the laws surrounding public nudity constitute a morass of legal mumbo-jumbo that I’m not lawyerly enough to parlay to the common woman (topless or otherwise) in a way that constitutes any kind of legal advice! That said, let’s start with the fact that there’s no law on the federal books that prohibits public nudity.

Yup, that’s right. Uncle Sam isn’t about to say you can’t run around naked if you want. Neither will the State of California. In fact, any regulations on public nudity in California are strictly local ordinances and enforced by city or county governments. San Francisco, for example, has refused to legislate nudity and full-frontal is legal there. Keep your eyes peeled next time you’re in the Castro! And the rumors are true about NYC: women are free to bare their bosoms in the state of New York because of a ruling by the high court there that said it’s discriminatory for women to be banned from going topless in places where it’s acceptable for men to do so. The full monty, on the other hand, remains prohibited.

Here in SD, the city has put a big “negatory” stamp on walking around in the buff. It’s permitted at Black’s Beach, however, because that is a state park and therefore subject to the state’s policy on nudity, which is complicated. Basically, “traditionally” clothing optional areas are allowed to stay that way so long as nobody puts up a big fuss on either side of the aisle. Weird, right?

The best bets for other places to go bare-chested would be national parks, like the Cleveland National Forest, but I wouldn’t be surprised if park rangers were less than sympathetic. There’s nothing illegal about walking around nude in a national park, but it still might cause trouble. Best to check with local authorities and naturist groups before experimenting with public toplessness.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

The White-crowned sparrow visits, Liquidambars show their colors

Bat populations migrate westward
Image by Rick Geary

Heymatt:
What is the difference in our culture between accepting topless males, versus topless females, in public? Is it a Puritan hangup? How about the stories about it being lawful for females to show their breasts in public in New York? Is it true? Are there any other places where it’s OK for females to go shirtless (and bra-less) in public other than Black’s Beach? I’m talking about public streets, parks, etc.
— Curious in Clairemont

Sponsored
Sponsored

Oh, I wish I could pass this one off as “it’s complicated,” because it truly is. I’ll attempt to offer some elucidation on the matter, but I must warn you, the laws surrounding public nudity constitute a morass of legal mumbo-jumbo that I’m not lawyerly enough to parlay to the common woman (topless or otherwise) in a way that constitutes any kind of legal advice! That said, let’s start with the fact that there’s no law on the federal books that prohibits public nudity.

Yup, that’s right. Uncle Sam isn’t about to say you can’t run around naked if you want. Neither will the State of California. In fact, any regulations on public nudity in California are strictly local ordinances and enforced by city or county governments. San Francisco, for example, has refused to legislate nudity and full-frontal is legal there. Keep your eyes peeled next time you’re in the Castro! And the rumors are true about NYC: women are free to bare their bosoms in the state of New York because of a ruling by the high court there that said it’s discriminatory for women to be banned from going topless in places where it’s acceptable for men to do so. The full monty, on the other hand, remains prohibited.

Here in SD, the city has put a big “negatory” stamp on walking around in the buff. It’s permitted at Black’s Beach, however, because that is a state park and therefore subject to the state’s policy on nudity, which is complicated. Basically, “traditionally” clothing optional areas are allowed to stay that way so long as nobody puts up a big fuss on either side of the aisle. Weird, right?

The best bets for other places to go bare-chested would be national parks, like the Cleveland National Forest, but I wouldn’t be surprised if park rangers were less than sympathetic. There’s nothing illegal about walking around nude in a national park, but it still might cause trouble. Best to check with local authorities and naturist groups before experimenting with public toplessness.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Crimes against San Diego pets

Kensington, Little Italy, Ocean Beach, City Heights, Tijuana, Prescott, Arizona
Next Article

Blasphemous Boheme at San Diego Opera

Conceptual production rips out opera's beating heart
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader