Ashland moves to ban public nudity

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ASHLAND — The City Council voted 5-1 Tuesday to ban public nudity anywhere within the city limits.

Council members Russ Silbiger, David Chapman, Kate Jackson, Carol Voisin and Greg Lemhouse approved the first reading of an ordinance that would make it unlawful for a person to intentionally expose his or her genitals in view of a public space. Councilman Eric Navickas cast the sole dissenting vote.

The council must approve the proposed ordinance a second time for it to become law.

The new proposal goes beyond previous efforts to create 200-foot or 1,000-foot nudity-free buffer zones around schools, licensed child-care centers and the Ashland Family YMCA.

The council directed city staff members to look into issuing parade permits to people who want to hold protests in the buff. That option will come back to the council at a future meeting when members will consider approving the second reading of the ordinance, the final action required to enact city laws.

Ashland already bans the display of genitals downtown and in parks.

In September, a council majority voted not to expand that law to ban nudity around schools. But after a naked man from Minnesota appeared near three Ashland schools in October, Mayor John Stromberg decided to put the nudity issue back before the council.

Stromberg did not cast a vote on Tuesday. Under the city charter, the mayor votes only to break ties.

Navickas tried unsuccessfully to run the clock out to the mandatory 10:30 p.m. meeting closure without a vote on the measure by talking at length about how society views the naked body. He said that nude protesters will seek parade permits and go into school zones.

"We'll bring more people who want to challenge the law," he said.

Chapman said the language of the proposed ordinance, which makes it illegal to "intentionally expose" genitals, will protect people who are exposed accidentally to the public — such as if a person has his or her pants pulled down by someone else.

Before the vote, the council heard a range of opinions on public nudity from educators, parents and members of the Southern Oregon chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Ashland School District Superintendent Juli Di Chiro said the man from Minnesota was seen in close proximity to Walker Elementary School, Ashland Middle School and Ashland High School.

"He traveled some distance to get here, and all because he knew that he would not be arrested for this behavior," Di Chiro said. "Let's send a clear message to those types of visitors that Ashland is a community that treasures and protects its children, and let's adopt a citywide nudity ban."

The Ashland Police Department has not released the name of the man from Minnesota. Some parents have made threats against the man.

Police Chief Terry Holderness said he believes the man has left Ashland.

Ashland resident Ralph Temple, a member of the ACLU, said Ashland hasn't experienced a rash of public nudity, and therefore shouldn't sacrifice people's personal freedoms.

"Civil liberties are fragile," he said, adding that they are the first things to be discarded when difficulties arise.

Vickie Aldous is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach her at 479-8199 or vlaldous@yahoo.com.

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