The annual World Naked Bike Ride is a global event that promotes cycling to reduce dependence on fuel-based transportation.
The event also aims to promote body positivity, encouraging riders to dress “as bare as they dare,” according to the WNBR homepage.
The WNBR requires that minors who wish to participate in the race must have proper adult supervision. But after a minor participated in the Madison naked bike ride and appeared in pictures that were posted online, concerned Wisconsin lawmakers have suggested several alterations to state nudity laws.
While current laws ban indecent nudity, Wisconsin’s legislators suggest a tighter ban to prohibit all intentional nudity. A second proposal would make it illegal for adults to bring minors to events where there would be intentional nudity.
The photography of the minor, who seemed around 10 years in age, did not fall under Wisconsin’s child pornography statutes, as the images were not sexual or exposing children to harmful narratives. But it is obvious that the spread of nude images of minors on the Internet can pose harmful effects.
Additionally, parents might not have a child’s consent prior to bringing them to such events, which can quickly transform events that aim to promote body positivity to ones that threaten minors’ privacy due to their inability to consent.
While Republicans’ proposal to ban minors’ participation in such nude events might seem reasonable, Wisconsin must not place a total ban on all public events with displays of nudity.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the nude bike ride is a First Amendment protest. The Sentinel interviewed riders who praised the events’ promotion of body positivity and acceptance of individuals from all different appearances and walks of life.
Additionally, the intentional nudity in the bike ride can help capture and direct communities’ attention toward the movement’s central goal of reducing societal dependence on fuel-based transportation. Children should not be allowed to participate due to their inability to consent, but the WNBR must not be banned entirely.
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There is a reasonable concern the proposed policies are too broad in their restrictions. For instance, Wisconsin Sen. LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) claims the new prohibitions would affect parents’ ability to bring their children to community events like concerts, which can have surprise nudity. Not only can this have negative outcomes for concert or event attendance, but it can create implications for artists’ freedom of bodily expression.
While it is important to reconsider children’s ability to participate in intentional public nudity, Wisconsin legislators must rethink the excessively broad scope of their proposals.
Aanika Parikh ([email protected]) is a sophomore studying molecular and cell biology.
