Dozens of people are planning to bike in the buff next week in downtown San Diego as part of a World Naked Bike Ride. San Diego organizer Sarah Bush said the group is riding nude to protest oil dependence, and to show appreciation of the human body.
San Diego Police warned that nude riders will be ticketed and possibly taken into custody.
In response, Bush filed a lawsuit Wednesday to try to overturn city's ordinance, stating it violates her First Amendment rights.
Bush argued riders can't express themselves and grab people's attention without being fully naked. "It’s not a world naked bike ride if you can’t be naked, and it would be limiting to the ride if we have to put on articles of clothing," she said.
Her attorney Mitch Wallis said the ordinance is too broad. "Some nudity is political, some is artistic, some has special value that is protected by the First Amendment, and you can’t sweep it in with other nudity that is not protected," he said.
San Diego’s 10-mile bike ride is scheduled for June 12. Nude protesters plan to start in downtown San Diego and make their way through Hillcrest. San Diego's ride is one of more than two dozen scheduled around the world.
