Nudism activist Gypsy Taub has been pretty active since we last covered San Francisco's recently passed public nudity ban. But now that it's (almost) the law, Taub is inviting everyone to a clothing-optional protest (and, afterwards, an eBook release party) scheduled to take place at San Francisco's City Hall before the federal court hearing on her group's lawsuit against the new law, currently scheduled for January 17 at 1:30 p.m.
"Nudity is still legal at least until February 1," Taub noted.
The first protest against the nudity ban will take place on Tuesday, January 8 at 2 p.m., to stop Scott Wiener, author of the nudity ban, from becoming chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. Nudist activists will attend the full board meeting of the SF supervisors, make public comments on his candidacy—and get naked in protest if Wiener gets elected.
Taub plans to follow that up with a second protest on the same day on the SF City Hall steps, to commence just after the Board of Supervisors election, though if it rains, the gathering will be moved to the Center for Sex and Culture (1349 Mission Street between 9th and 10th streets).
Finally, Tuesday evening at 7:30, Taub is throwing an eBook release party for the new book Free Your Body! Free Your Mind!, which will take place at the Center for Sex and Culture right after the supervisors' meeting adjourns. All proceeds from the eBook will be donated to nudist legal defense and body freedom events/actions.
Free Your Body! Free Your Mind! is a compilation of the writings of 20 body freedom activists, and contains over 200 color photographs of the authors and their activities. It can be purchased here. Among the book's contributors are Christina DiEdoardo, the attorney representing the nudists; Gypsy Taub, the nudist activist who led mass disrobing protests at the City Hall last fall; Xplicit Players, a nudist artist/activist group who held nude performances in Berkeley for 15 years; George Davis, who ran for Mayor and Supervisor on the nudist platform; Ciara Rose, a sex worker, writer and nudist activist who got arrested at the December 4 City Hall disrobing protest; Mitch Hightower, a nudist activist/organizer of Castro nude-ins and a plaintiff on the class action law suit against the city; Rusty Mills, another nudist activist and plaintiff on the lawsuit; Nude Woody, yet another nudist activist from the Castro District, and others.
The eBook describes recent events and protests against the nudity ban in San Francisco. It also contains essays on body freedom and first-person stories about, and accounts of, public nudity—with pictures! The book is available from Amazon.com for a nominal fee.
Finally, everyone is invited to the San Francisco Federal Courthouse on Thursday, January 17 at 1:30 p.m., where Judge Edward M. Chen will hear the nudists’ case against the City of San Francisco. His courtroom is located at 450 Golden Gate Ave, SF, Courtroom #5 on the 17th floor. It's your chance to possibly watch First Amendment history being made.
