12 March 2011

Who changed the rules on the World Naked Bike Ride?

| johnboy
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WNBR

We’ve had the following in from World Naked Bike Ride organisers and it raises some interesting questions:

The ACT Police have a bee in their bonnet and have pushed back on what they think will be acceptable during this years World Naked Bike Ride. It was pointed out to them that their ideas for this year are stricter than is normal at any beach, and more prudish than is accepted in other WNBR rides around Australia. They pointed out the ACT is not the beach, nor is the ACT the same as other cities. When the other rides in 80 cities around the world was mentioned they repeated this is the ACT and they are not following the examples in other cities. The APF have an opinion the Parliamentary Triangle should have a level of sanctity they wish to uphold, but failed to included the Question Time childishness or the various costumes worn by Steve Fielding in this concept.

After the recent meeting with the AFP, the message is –
There has been a late change from the ACT Police regarding the dress code for this year, and all riders must wear a minimum of clothing (e.g. bikini, speedo, underwear). Just a covering of body-paint will not be sufficient this year, and the AFP will be enforcing their requirement that genitals, buttocks, and breasts be covered with some type of clothing. Apart from this, the ride will be similar to last year.

There have been a lot of negative opinions aired about this, and the WNBR organizers also think this is an over zealous requirement. One problem identified is people against the ride made some noise and complained loudly, but only a few who supported the ride made a similar noise. The social prudes are wining the debate, as they are the only ones speaking out. We need many people to ride this year, and oodles of people to cheer us on as we ride past, to show there is plenty of acceptance of the WNBR in Canberra.

Here at RiotACT we can’t help wonder who assessed community feedback, or even called for it? Who met and considered these issues? Who made these decisions?

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damien haas said :

of course if i was the naked bike riders, and i felt so passionately about my perceived right to bicycle in the nude, then id just ride nude and to hell with it.

If you were famale, young, slim and pretty I would support your right to be nude.

Oh wait……

Pommy bastard11:37 am 14 Mar 11

If it’s illegal to go naked in a public place, then it is illegal no matter how right-on/eco/hippy/green/save the gay-unmarried-single parent-lesbian-disabled-whale the protest, nor does it matter where that public protest takes place.

I think my views on the displeasure of the prospect of encountering nude hippies has been well documented here.

Oh, and how green is your titanium framed “Chinese made with American and French parts”, bike in any case?

Well all my bikes come from the tip. So mine are fine!

Why does it have to be nude, could do some real damage, as there is no protection covering your bodies.

If there is one thing I support it is boobs. Penis’ much less so, but really, everyone has genitals, and while I’d be a little uncomfortable changing Friday to nude day at work (ingrained cultural taboos being, after all, ingrained) I really don’t see the problem with this kinda thing.

Riding a group that big through an event designed to attract pedestrian is pretty stupid though, even if wearing clothes….

inlymbo said :

If I could sew (which I can not) and I was the WNBR (which I am not) I would get ‘cracking’ on making a whole bunch of naked suits. The suits should be adorned with wobbly bits, hairy bits and a fair bit of crack. If the whole gang wore one I am sure they would get noticed, every lucky viewer would have to, at the least look twice and then probably laugh their prudish heads off.

This is the best idea yet. Naked suits would be a hell of a laugh.

What is the naked bike ride protesting about anyway?

If I could sew (which I can not) and I was the WNBR (which I am not) I would get ‘cracking’ on making a whole bunch of naked suits. The suits should be adorned with wobbly bits, hairy bits and a fair bit of crack. If the whole gang wore one I am sure they would get noticed, every lucky viewer would have to, at the least look twice and then probably laugh their prudish heads off.

merlin bodega said :

The real obscenity here is that it costs $150 000 per staff member to keep the ACT policing arm of the AFP here in Canberra and it is just so ineffective.

Where did you come up with that figure and how are they so ineffective?

We are going back to the bad old days of policing in the territory where whenever anyone came along they didn’t like the police would throw the unfortunate (mostly koori people) into a vehicle and drive them out to Queanbeyan. Well Mr Q those days are gone!

How are we going back to those days? Maybe just maybe the human rights act has played havoc with this bike ride in Canberra.

merlin bodega said :

The real obscenity here is that it costs $150 000 per staff member to keep the ACT policing arm of the AFP here in Canberra and it is just so ineffective.

Source? I’m guessing you don’t have one?

As for the bike ride, I don’t see a problem with nudity in this context. It seems a very prudish stance from the AFP.

merlin bodega9:18 am 13 Mar 11

The real obscenity here is that it costs $150 000 per staff member to keep the ACT policing arm of the AFP here in Canberra and it is just so ineffective.

Does this new ban on bodies have more to do with the personal beliefs of senior ACT police? The world ride is now a world ride it seems except for Canberra. Well done. What about working with the organisers to find a new place for the ride that is both safe and acceptable in terms of location, profile and safety.

We are going back to the bad old days of policing in the territory where whenever anyone came along they didn’t like the police would throw the unfortunate (mostly koori people) into a vehicle and drive them out to Queanbeyan. Well Mr Q those days are gone!

damien haas said :

I would like to see nude day replace casual clothes day in most workplaces

I work from home, most days are nude day at my workplace.

I dont have a problem with public nudity, in fact i would like to see nude day replace casual clothes day in most workplaces, however i was at the car show last year when the naked bike riders came through, and it was pretty dangerous. they rode straight through the middle of a heavily visited area, with several hundred people walking in their path. it was a very poor choice by their organisers to route it through the car show.

the afp did have several cars on display and a few officers liaising with the crowd and showing them their cars, so i would say that people who had a complaint about the naked bike riders could have made it to the afp on the day. no doubt those concerns have been considered when looking at the naked bike riders request this year. as in so many things, actions have consequences.

of course if i was the naked bike riders, and i felt so passionately about my perceived right to bicycle in the nude, then id just ride nude and to hell with it.

Well it would be dangerous, I mean to say, wouldn’t want anything caught in the spokes! 🙂

I seem to be one of the poor saps that have copped way too much abuse from bycicle riders. Sure *sometimes* I haven’t seen them when driving and almost run them over but usually when they haven’t had lights or relective vests and they have done the wrong thing like run through red lights or cut in front of me. So I probably shouldn’t comment but I will.

I can see the AFP point (ha ha get it? anyways – )- the Parlimentry triangle and associated areas should be respected because it represents the institutions that hold together our nation. And naked people on bikes riding past them with their bits flopping out and around IS quite disrespectful to those institutions. Nothing wrong with riding around the city and ‘burbs though is there?

I would like the police to enforce current laws and leave the creation of laws to the elected officials.

If its illegal to be nude, i can’t image you will get in much trouble. Look, if you can shoot two people in the head or stab someone repeatedly in the chest, and it’s all OK in the ACT, i can’t image you would get much time for swinging your willy or boob around.

PPPSSSTTT. just say it was self-defense (or that your clothes were on fire)!

If police want to keep the ParlTri family friendly, they ought to say so, or point at an NCA policy…
While the event doesn’t really interest me, people getting their tits out or gear off might be considered a reasonable method of political expression in a present or future context.
(Especially with a few years of event precedent here)

But riding through a car show with children present is a bit different to crashing a wedding photo…

I would suggest that the above photo is part of the reason for the crack down. Honestly, who though that riding naked through a family event wasn’t going to bring complaints. I could imagine more than a few parents who were taking their kids to see the cars, being upset at the event being invaded by nude cyclists. It is all well and good to say everyone should be able to do there own thing but ‘their own thing’ doesn’t need to be inflicted on everyone else.

Sorry but if the WNBR hadn’t shown such a lack of good sense, they wouldn’t have these restrictions in place.

I have nothing against boobs in public. I wish I had, but then the missus would object.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:08 pm 12 Mar 11

so lame.

Are there not far more important things to be policing or worrying about?

What des a indecent exposure charge consist of and what if they all broke the *rules* anywyas?

Tetranitrate5:05 pm 12 Mar 11

The event doens’t really interest me much, but honestly who cares?
Do they really think children might be harmed by seeing breasts?

I believe there will be a bar open at the festivities, and all the profits will go to the organisation so it can go on to bigger and better things – I think real nuddiness will depend on strength of numbers. I’d go nuddy only if I could ride in the middle of a very large contingent. I promise to drink up afterwards and contribute to the coffers if I don’t dare ride!

Motorsport supporters can sympathise.

pandaman said :

Seems pretty harmless really. Given the nasty crap that humans do to each other on a regular basis throughout the world, a bunch of hippies riding around with no clothes on hardly seems to pose a great moral quandary.

Didn’t you get the memo? Descriptions of horrible crimes on the 6pm news, fiiiiiiiiiiine. But boobs and bums and various wobbly bits cycling down the street, baaaaaad. It might be a bit of a reach given the news isn’t broadcasting live on a flatbed truck driving down the street but nevertheless I am too lazy to finish this thought.

1) Sanctity? The Parliamentary Triangle is sacred like a cathedral now?
(Discounting the Question Time and Fielding reference, Members & Senators get parliamentary privilege)

2) Seems a bit unfair that for a one-off event no woman is allowed to show off any boob (unlike when breastfeeding, sunbathing, etc), but men can show off their nipples any time they like, and nobody will bat an eyelid.
Otherwise, tassle pasties (or paint-on vinyl) for everybody!

PS: Here is the Indecent Exposure portion of the Crimes Act 1900.

Seems pretty harmless really. Given the nasty crap that humans do to each other on a regular basis throughout the world, a bunch of hippies riding around with no clothes on hardly seems to pose a great moral quandary. It would be interesting to hear exactly the arguments against it to see if any of them are the least bit rational.

Pasties on nipples and little black ‘kini bottoms on everyone by the look of it … that’s not naked!

Breasts? I think if the men can go topless, the women should be able to.

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