"Let my people go NAKED"

A trio of naked protesters let it all hang out a little too long on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Castro and were taken into custody by San Francisco police for violating the city’s ban on public nudity.

The protest, at Jane Warner Plaza at Castro and Market streets, was called to mark the second anniversary of the city law, which prohibits public nudity except at events whose sponsors obtain permits.

Although nobody got a permit for the protest, about a dozen demonstrators, all men except for leader Gypsy Taub, gathered in various states of undress, mingled with supporters and posted signs including one that declared: “Saint Francis was a nudist.”

Four of them, Gypsy and three men, stood atop chairs and gave speeches through a megaphone. Taub denounced the ordinance, author SupervisorScott Wiener, and antinudity attitudes for “body shaming.”

“If public nudity were an everyday public event,” she said, “how quickly would it become obvious that most of us are not Miss America?”

George Davis, a veteran public nudity protester, decried what he described as the changing San Francisco culture and blamed on “too many new people coming into San Francisco all at once.”

“We used to be considered the kinkiest city in the country — and I mean that in a good way: sexual freedom, public nudity,” he said. “Now that distinction has gone to Portland. This city is turning into Milwaukee with better weather.”

After about a half hour of speeches, four police officers who had been standing quietly in the background approached the group, informed them they were violating the ordinance and gave them five minutes to cover up. They wrapped up their speeches, and several people donned some clothing.

But Davis remained fully exposed and said he would keep talking to see if the police would take him into custody. That prompted Taub and her husband, Jimmy Smith, who also goes by the name of James Taub, to strip down again.

Soon thereafter, the police returned, wearing blue rubber gloves. They calmly handcuffed the naked protesters, who did not resist, and led them to a police van as the crowd of about 30 observers booed and jeered.

Officers said they were being taken into custody instead of simply being cited because they did not have identification. Police officials were unable to confirm the status of the three later Sunday afternoon.