You’re not quite naked, but you’re not quite dressed either. Is it legal? I don’t know and I’ve always been curious.

  • krayj@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It depends entirely on the jurisdiction. Take the city of Seattle, for example (I know this because I planned an executed a nude photo shoot in public view inside the city limits and sought legal council ahead of time to ensure I wan’t risking being charged with any crimes). The general rule for Seattle hinges on whether the activity is intended to tittilate or sexually arouse observers - and if that is obviously not the intent, then even full nudity is not illegal. Many other large cities have very similar ordinances.

    The smaller the town, and the more conservative the region, the stricter and less flexible the ordinances. There are beaches in South Carolina, for example, where they even regulate the minimum amount of coverage for bikinis and beachware.

    • ultranaut@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s not city ordinances but state law, you can legally be naked in public throughout Washington state as long as your intent isn’t to sexually arouse others.

      • Cstrrider@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        So is it illegal to be in Washington to intentially arouse others fully clothed?

        And what about unintentionally arousal? Like can you not be shirtless if you are so hot that your body puts others into heat?

      • krayj@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        You are mistaken. City ordinances absolutely comes into play here. In the US, you are subject to federal law, any additional state laws, any additional county laws, and then any additional city municipal-codes/ordinances.

        Here’s the Seattle city ordinance that applies:

        Seattle Municipal Code, Chapter 12A.10.130 Indecent Exposure, Paragraph A.

        A person is guilty of indecent exposure if he or she intentionally makes any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm.

        source:

        http://clerk.seattle.gov/search/ordinances/124301#:~:text=10 as follows%3A-,12A.,cause reasonable affront or alarm.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I was about to put out a throwaway comment about it depending on whether you look cute, but I guess that’s Reddit toxicity and @krayj brings the goods. Excellent answer!

    • kersploosh@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      IIRC in Seattle it effectively depends on whether anyone cares enough to report you. If your neighbors don’t mind you gardening naked in your front yard then you’re fine. If they gripe about it then you have to put clothes on. Which seems reasonable to me.

      San Francisco has actually been tightening their rules on public nudity because it was getting out of hand.

      • kirklennon@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        IIRC in Seattle it effectively depends on whether anyone cares enough to report you. If your neighbors don’t mind you gardening naked in your front yard then you’re fine. If they gripe about it then you have to put clothes on.

        That’s not the case. You do not have to put on clothes just because your neighbors don’t like it. Gardening nude is fully legal even if someone complains.

        Nudity itself is not obscene, only obscene actions can make it obscene.

        • keeb420@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          you dont have to but you dont want the neighborhood hating you either. or maybe you do. idk.

            • keeb420@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              neighbors can be helpful or they can be spiteful. id rather have neighbors be predisposed to be helpful but thats me.

              • richieadler@lemmy.myserv.one
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                1 year ago

                In some countries neighbors are poisonously disgusting about expressing distaste for things that shouldn’t be their business and extort your compliance by flaunting disapproval.

            • dumptruckdan@kbin.social
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              1 year ago

              If you’re not home and the neighbor notices something suspicious happening at your house, they could call the cops/call you, or they could just pretend they didn’t see it because FU. If your mailbox is on the other side of the street in someone else’s lawn, they could weed whack carefully around it or they could “”“accidentally”“” damage the post every time. They could pick up their dog’s shit or they could send their dog over to use your yard. While all of those negative outcomes could be solved with security cameras and at worst a trip to small claims court, it’s still a hassle. Just depends on what’s worth more to you.

    • archaix@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Ah yes the classic “planned and executed a nude public photoshoot” situation. There’s so many of those though…which one was yours so we can really pin down these jurisdictional laws?

      • krayj@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Well, I already named the jurisdiction: Seattle, Washington, USA.

        The date/time shouldn’t matter since the ordinances haven’t changed, but it was Aug 12, 2012 just in case anyone reading this just happened to be in Seattle at the time and saw us. It was spectated by quite a number of people due to the size of the production - we had lights, a make-up/hair stylist, my assistant, the model, plus security.