Nudist Activists Filed Amended Complaint in Federal Court

The following information was received from self-styled "body freedom activist Gypsy Taub: SAN FRANCISCO—An amended complaint was filed on June 18 in U.S. District Court on behalf of nudist activists Gypsy Taub and George Davis. The activists filed a lawsuit against the City of San Francisco and the SFPD in November of 2012. They have since hired Gill Sperlein, one of the most skilled First Amendment attorneys in the country, to represent them. Since the City of San Francisco and the SFPD have continued their constitutional violations and non-stop harassment and intimidation against nudist activists, the activists' case has gotten even stronger since it was first filed several months ago. Not only have the Plaintiffs been unlawfully arrested under the color of law, not only have the SFPD totally disregarded their rights to peaceful protest and freedom of self expression by citing and arresting them during protests, not only have they violently brutalized one of the activists for not getting dressed in 5 minutes, but Chief of Police Greg Suhr has issued a public statement to the media that nudity would not be tolerated at events that are exempt from the nudity ban according to the legislation itself. George Davis, Gypsy Taub and others have been cited or threatened with arrest for nudity at permitted events (Bay to Breakers and Haight Street Fair). Nudist activists have applied eight times for parade permits that would allow them to be nude legally, but were always denied with a different excuse every time. For more details about the lawsuit and the new amended complaint, please contact Gill Sperlein at 415-404-6615 or Gypsy Taub at 510-495-9661. In the meantime, body freedom activists will stage a Saint Francis Rally and Parade on Saturday, June 26—San Francisco’s 238th anniversary—in front of the National Shrine of Saint Francis, for whom San Francisco was named, at 610 Vallejo St. Saint Francis was an Italian Catholic priest and one of the most respected religious figures in history. He renounced possessions, having famously said, “I shall go naked to meet my naked Lord,” and was active in rebuilding small churches. “I shall go naked to meet my naked Lord”: These were the words St. Francis addressed to his father in one of the best-known scenes from his life. Francis had taken some of his merchant father's finest materials to raise funds to rebuild the Church of St Damian. For this act his father brought him before the court. The trial took place before the bishop and his court in the presence of merchants and townspeople. In response to the charges laid against him, Francis proclaimed:,“I return not only my money, but also my clothes. I shall go naked to meet my naked Lord.” At which point he stripped off all his clothes, threw them to his father and walked off naked. When he preached in the nude, the townspeople in Assisi first laughed at him  but then were won over by his words. The San Francisco nudity ban is a shameful act of outrageous hypocrisy especially in light of our cultural and spiritual history. We will be marching naked in solidarity with the holy man who was such a beacon of inspiration to our people that our city was name after him. Saint Francis was a nudist in the 12th century. It’s time that our society catch up with his ideals and his vision.