Breast Ban

[Robert Hoffmann <escape@alt-escape.com>]

I was at the Moscow City Council meeting last night, where for the second
time (due to parliamentary rules) the Council voted on the proposed public
indecency statute.

About 6-8 members of the public spoke out, about half men, half women.  All
spoke in opposition to the ordinance.  City council is more clearly divided
on gender lines, with all of the women opposing, and all of the men in
favor.  The absence of a male member of the council resulted in defeat of
the proposal last night.  I presume this kills the proposal in its current
form, although I'm not sure....

Opponents of the law sited many issues:  The existence of an Idaho
indecency statute, the sexist nature of the proposal ("men can and women
can't"), the fact that there is not an ongoing problem with indecency, the
fact that if the council passed the law, it would lower the bar, setting a
legal minimum for people, while current decency standards are set by social
consensus.  Also, a new law would invite challenges, which in turn would
require city resources to prosecute and defend through appeals.

Council members in favor of the law said people they talk to claim that the
proposals do not go far enough, and that there needs to be some legal
minimum standard.  The proposal basically identified parts of the body
requiring covering as:  The genitals, the anus, the cleft of the buttocks,
and (exclusive to the pubescent female, except while breast feeding) the
areola.

That's it in a nutshell....


Robert Hoffmann                      817 S. Adams
Alt-Escape Adventures                Moscow, ID  83843  USA
http://www.alt-escape.com            Phone: (208) 883-0642
	             Fax:   (208) 883-8545