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We might be having a naked bike ride on Sunday, August 21, 2011 in support of National Go-Topless Day which promotes the women's right of equality to go bare chested in public just like men. See the Go-Topless web page for more info. At the present time, there are no Go-Topless events planned for San Francisco. According to the Go-Topless website, men are encourged to wear a bikini top to demostrate just how silly the current laws are.

Since this will be a WNBR style naked bike ride, both sexes are also encourged to go bottomless in equality, if we actually do the ride. Stay tuned.

Go-Topless and the WNBR are not affiliated organizations, but share similar views of body freedom and equality of the sexes.
Shortcut to this page: www.sfwnbr.org

Ride details

Schedule Nothing is planned yet but if we do go ahead with the ride it will most likely occur at the same place and time as previous WNBRs. Say tuned. 11 AM: Maybe Gather. Self safety-inspections. Group consensus on route details. Bike/body decoration. Plan to paint your body at home or bring supplies. (Lip stick works in a pinch as long as you like shades of red.) Noon: Maybe the ride starts. Weather So far this year, all the SF WNBRs have been in cold, windy weather. Wouldn't be nice to do a WNBR when the weather is warm and pleasent. That's another reason to consider having a WNBR in August. Check the local weather at the following sites: San Francisco Chronicle KCBS Radio, San Francisco Getting there If you live out of town, please try to use public transportion to get to the start of the ride. Parking in the area is limited and expensive. Both BART and CalTrain take bicycles. Check out these websites for details: Bay Area Rapid Transit CalTrain Route We haven't planned anything for Go-Topless day yet. May not even happen. However, the SF Police let us ride fully nude anywhere we want except within city and federal parks. We generally tour the more picturesque and populous areas of San Francisco which usually, but not always includes: The Ferry Building, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Aquatic Park, The Marina, The Palace of Fine Arts, Union Square and the Civic Center. A significant portion of our regular WNBR riders live in the Castro District so that has become a popular stop, as well. Ride Pace and Difficulty The ride is at a slow to moderate pace with frequent stops so we can show off our decorated naked bodies and bikes, chant protest slogans and allow the public to take photos. We try to stay on level ground but San Francisco is a hilly place, so some hills are to be expected. If the route takes us up the rare steep hill we walk so no one is left behind.

Alternative Participation Being California, everyone does things differently. We want to offer the broadest possible welcome. First of all, obey all the Laws of Comfort! There's no nudity requirement. Whether you come clothed in a full-length Fun-Fur or just a top hat, come as bare as you dare. Most riders carry some minimal clothing to wear when arriving and departing the group. Skates Secondly, skaters are welcome. Some skaters have joined us repeatedly! Since skaters tend to expend about 2x as much energy, and tend to roll 50% slower than bikers, skaters may wish to follow an abbreviated but comparable route by linking the level grades in the beginning and ending segments of the ride. One very accomplished naked skater in the 2010 SF WNBR skated up and down the steepest part of Lombard Street, The Crookedest Street in the World, to everyone's amazement. Public Nudity in San Francisco Liberal San Francisco is accustomed to people going completely naked on public streets in broad daylight. Other city events where open nudity is common are Critical Mass rides, Bay-to-Breakers, Nude Olympics, the Folsom Street Fair and Gay Pride events. Basically, as long as you only go naked in public streets and stay out of any city or federal parks you are good. Going naked outside the main group does increase your chances of being cited for something whether justified or not. There's more safety in numbers. Inform yourself of the local nudity laws before you bare all in case you have to explain yourself. This File:SF WNBR.Nudity laws.pdf (~1.7Mbs) contains the actual codes and regulations (with references) regarding nudity so you can educate anyone who may question your right to go naked in public. Always treat the authorities with courtesy and respect and dress when ordered to do so. (If you need help interpreting the codes, please seek the advice of a lawyer.) Our fearless ride coordinator did have a run-in with one somewhat misinformed SF police officer in the early days of the SF WNBR. Since then the police have been better informed and even helpful in escorting naked riders through crowded intersections and in guiding the group to certain destinations when necessary.

Links

Join us! Main WNBR website ‎

Discussion groups SF WNBR Yahoo! Group SF WNBR Tribe

Location Links Google Map of San Francisco Wikipedia: San Francisco Wikipedia: California Please also visit Climate Crisis.org

Subpages

Publicity, Media Coverage and Ride Reports This page contains links to press releases, media coverage and ride reports covering previous SF WNBR events. (Some of the coverage contains images of public nudity.) Promotional Materials This page contains links to flyers and other promotional materials for past and future SF WNBR events. (Most flyers contain images of public nudity.) Help us get the word out. Print these flyers and distribute at other protest events, sport/bike shops and college campuses. Or, create your own flyers by combining your own ideas with the materials provided.

Photos This page contains links to photo collections covering previous rides. (Obviously, these photos contain images of public nudity.) FAQ This page contains questions and answers to many of the more common concerns regarding the SF WNBR. Thanks to Leo for this. Ride Safety This page discusses safety issues when riding around San Francisco. Thanks to Leo for this.