Sex Offender Label? — Legal Issues on True Nudists

MemberOriginal Poster

Jan 15, 2010

Someone recently told me that being caught driving nude in the US will result in you being charges with a felony offence and a label for life as a sex offender.
Is this really true? I just did a long cross country drive last summer, and the majority of the time I was nude and enjoying the sunshine, so this comes as a huge surprise to me.
Is this a fact or is it just another urban myth?

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Replies

ME
Member
Jan 15, 2010
Better question yet…
If you drive a mobile home
Aren’t you allowed to be naked at your own home???
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PH
Philfreeeuk
Jan 15, 2010
[quote]Better question yet… If you drive a mobile home Aren’t you allowed to be naked at your own home???[/quote] HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Trust YOU! ...... Baman! Good question!
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TH
Thomas
Jan 15, 2010
[quote]Someone recently told me that being caught driving nude in the US will result in you being charges with a felony offence and a label for life as a sex offender. Is this really true? I just did a long cross country drive last summer, and the majority of the time I was nude and enjoying the sunshine, so this comes as a huge surprise to me. Is this a fact or is it just another urban myth? [/quote] The laws vary by state, in TX simple nudity is just like a speeding ticket, nudity with intent to alarm or arouse is class B which is harder to prove but can carry up to six months in jail. Neither is a felony or requires sex offender registration.
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BI
Bicyclenude
Jan 16, 2010
I agree with Tx - the laws, and whether they are enforced, will vary from state to state, county to county, city to city. I would guess that in most places, if they are similar to Chicago, public nudity will be a misdemeanor. Though the charge may be "indecent exposure", simple nudity is unlikely to put one in the sex offender category. Obviously, though, I'm guessing.
But if one wants to push the envelope, so to speak, it's best to be prepared to accept the consequences.
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BI
Bicyclenude
Jan 16, 2010
Oops - hit the submit twice. So I'll edit this one to say come join the Daring Nudists group, where envelope pushing is a way of life.
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SC
scnudist
Jan 16, 2010
I rarely do it, but when I do it is definately at night. I also do my best to avoid major roads (as much as possible), will hang back from other vehicles and always keep clothing readily available to at least cover with if not get dressed quickly. I don't chance it often but I do get the itch from time to time. You just have to be smart about it.
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ME
Member
Jan 16, 2010
[quote]I rarely do it, but when I do it is definately at night. I also do my best to avoid major roads (as much as possible), will hang back from other vehicles and always keep clothing readily available to at least cover with if not get dressed quickly. I don't chance it often but I do get the itch from time to time. You just have to be smart about it.[/quote] Sound to me like too much stress and work…kind of the opposite to the concept of being nude… ( liberating , freedom sensation )
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SC
scnudist
Jan 16, 2010
It isn't that much stress and work, but you do have to be careful. And you are right, being worried about getting caught shouldn't be what it is about. Which, again, is why I don't make it a regular habit. There are things I enjoy much more than just driving and I generally stick to those. :)
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CA
catbird
Jan 16, 2010
I drove nude once, just for the thrill of it. It was a short distance, and it was at night. No more. It isn't worth the risk. As Rabbit pointed out, we live in a witch hunt society, that is hyper about child abuse and sex abuse. It has happened multiple times that somebody was arrested, because they got their jollies by getting out of the car nude in the presence of women or children. If you are driving nude, somebody could jump to that conclusion.
In some jurisdictions, sex offenders are required to register, so that anybody can find out whether any sex offenders live in the neighborhood.
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PH
Philfreeeuk
Jan 16, 2010
In this day and age, the adverse publicity coupled with the risk of prosecution and a record,
makes anything other than a very remote area, not worth the risk.
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ME
Member
Jan 16, 2010
[quote]In this day and age, the adverse publicity coupled with the risk of prosecution and a record, makes anything other than a very remote area, not worth the risk.[/quote] 100% agree
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ME
Member
Jan 18, 2010
[quote][quote][quote]In this day and age, the adverse publicity coupled with the risk of prosecution and a record, makes anything other than a very remote area, not worth the risk.[/quote] 100% agree[/quote] 200% agree!!!!![/quote] hey... you cant raize when i am already stripped down...
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BI
Bicyclenude
Jan 18, 2010
I think my earlier post mayhave been too optimistic. I just read about arrests made by the Boulder Colorado police during the 2009 World Naked Bike Ride. They did make a public announcement beforehand - anyone with exposed genitals would be subject to arrest, charged with indecent exposure, and if things went badly for them in court, they could be added to a sex offender registry. This seems ironic, in that the definition of indecent exposure usually includes some mention of sexual gratification as a motive for the person being charged. I find it hard to make that connection in a case like this. But if the police can decide that full nudity (genital exposure) during a gathering that is advertised as a civil protest somehow constitutes sexual gratification, how much easier would it be for them to make the same case should they pull over a naked motorist?
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CD
Cheri Donna Dawson
Jan 18, 2010
[quote]Better question yet… If you drive a mobile home Aren’t you allowed to be naked at your own home???[/quote] Not if you can be seen from the public right of way in most states. I think you mean a motor home. A mobile home is a manufactured home sometimes called a trailer, single or doublewide. :)
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CD
Cheri Donna Dawson
Jan 18, 2010
Being labeled a sex offender....depends on where and under what circumstances you are found/cited.
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ME
MemberOriginal Poster
Jan 18, 2010
OK, it sounds as if most people feel it isnt worth the risk, that the possible penalties outweigh the enjoyment factor.
So it begs the question, if an individual can be labelled as a sex offender for being nude while driving, could the same happen for being nude on the beach, on the boat, on your patio, in the yard, .....
You get the idea..... do the states who label nudists as sex offenders water down the meaning of the term, and is there any recourse for an individual who may be tarred with this very wide brush.
No, I have not had this kind of a run in, I am just putting this out there for discussion.
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TH
Thomas
Jan 18, 2010
[quote]OK, it sounds as if most people feel it isnt worth the risk, that the possible penalties outweigh the enjoyment factor. So it begs the question, if an individual can be labelled as a sex offender for being nude while driving, could the same happen for being nude on the beach, on the boat, on your patio, in the yard, ..... You get the idea..... do the states who label nudists as sex offenders water down the meaning of the term, and is there any recourse for an individual who may be tarred with this very wide brush. No, I have not had this kind of a run in, I am just putting this out there for discussion.[/quote] This also varies by state. In Texas, guests of a resot are safe because it is private property as would you in your house or patio. Technicially you should be able to in your front yard, however I know of officers who arrested someone for public intoxication when they stepped off their porch onto the yard. This was in response to a domestic disturbance at a home and they were mainly trying to seperate the two. These would not apply to a boat on a public waterway. I think the reason the one legal nude beach here is allowed is that it is a county park, not on state owned land. As I mentioned in a previous post, simple nudity would simply be a citation normally without arrest. Lewd behavior is not normally used since the wording of the law reqires the prosecutor to prove intent to arouse or alarm. This is a higher charge and carry up to six months in jail and/or $2000 fine. You would get arrested for having sex at nude beach and charged at the higher lever.
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NU
Nude-Emu
Jan 19, 2010
I don't think that rule apply's in Australia. I was driving nude, with 2 mates of mine nude in the back seat, when my car broke down over an intersection. I had to quickly grab a towel to push the car across the lights.. There was a cop car right behind me, and all they did was put their lights on so I could push it across the lights to the other side safely.. They wondered why my mates didn't jump out and help me, but when they looked in the back seat they were still naked.. It was only a 2 door car. We were told to get dressed and catch a cab.. The officers had a sweet grin on their faces and I thanked them for helping me cross the lights.. No fines were issued and I wasn't reported as offensive, nor were they.. So we caught a cab home..
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GA
gabare
Jan 26, 2010
nudeemu if you notice its only the politicians in the USA that are stupid but you will also notice how many of them are caught in sexual incidents that are questionable, i think when they vote they think about their sick little minds and can't separate right from wrong. what is sad is that it is getting worse rather than better, back in the 70's and 80's if you got caught nude most of time you would get a warning or worse a ticket but never would you get labeled a sexual predator.
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MA
Martin
Jan 26, 2010
I have to say that it all sounds rather sad :-(
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MI
Miss_Linda
Feb 5, 2010
[quote]nudeemu if you notice its only the politicians in the USA that are stupid but you will also notice how many of them are caught in sexual incidents that are questionable, i think when they vote they think about their sick little minds and can't separate right from wrong. what is sad is that it is getting worse rather than better, back in the 70's and 80's if you got caught nude most of time you would get a warning or worse a ticket but never would you get labeled a sexual predator.[/quote] I would say it is the people that elect the politicians in the USA that are stupid. We keep saying that the politicians are crooked and / or ineffective, yet we keep electing, by and large, the same kinds of politicians. They are called Democrats and Republicans. Maybe we should vote for 'none of the above' instead.
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GE
Gerry-4
Feb 9, 2010
[quote][quote][quote]nudeemu if you notice its only the politicians in the USA that are stupid but you will also notice how many of them are caught in sexual incidents that are questionable, i think when they vote they think about their sick little minds and can't separate right from wrong. what is sad is that it is getting worse rather than better, back in the 70's and 80's if you got caught nude most of time you would get a warning or worse a ticket but never would you get labeled a sexual predator.[/quote] I would say it is the people that elect the politicians in the USA that are stupid. We keep saying that the politicians are crooked and / or ineffective, yet we keep electing, by and large, the same kinds of politicians. They are called Democrats and Republicans. Maybe we should vote for 'none of the above' instead.[/quote] I agree, and I might just vote "none of the above next time in the booth" The problem is what would it accomplish? The same crooked people winning by smaller margins as more people opt out of both [D] and [R] ? If there is a third party on the ballot I will vote for them too but how long will it take to overwhelm the majority that are funding and voting for the D's and R's.. I say its going to take more than my lifetime for the way the system works to change. What country should I consider expatriating to when I can afford it? They also need to be drug friendly (reefer) as well as nude friendly and I would be happy[/quote] With all due respect, I sometimes check out the percentage of people who, in various surveys, wind up having extramarital affairs. Despite the widespread condemnation of adultery, it appears the "practice" is in no danger of disappearing. Now, of all the people who have extramarital affairs, how many actually become politicians? Probably not that many. In any case, I am less interested in what a politician does for fun with HIS or HER money than what they do with taxpayers' money. The politician may certainly allow him- or herself some limited entertainment while traveling on government business, but if he or she takes a spouse along, I hope the taxpayers aren't on the hook for the spouse's airline tickets and meals. By the way, how did a thread about a sex offender label become a discussion about politicians? I mean, I know we all like to hear about a politician's fall from grace, so to speak, but unless it's a true assault, he probably won't be labeled a sex offender. An adulterer, perhaps, but not a sex offender. For that, he'd have to be caught driving nude.
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GA
gabare
Feb 22, 2010
they are doing a special on atlanta news this week on the different ways someone can label as a sex offender in georgia, maybe the legislator will wake and see how stupid it is.
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DA
DanandJanette
Feb 22, 2010
Also, keep in mind that if you earn yourself sex offender status, among other things it will keep you from gaining access to nudist resorts. Oh, the irony.
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