Nudism activists take to streets on bikes
People strolling along San Francisco’s Embarcadero on Saturday ran into a surprising sight: about a dozen naked people snapping photos with bikes and signs, the Bay Bridge as their backdrop.
The nudists were gathered at Rincon Park for one of five planned naked bike rides in San Francisco this year, a tradition in the city since 2004. The bike rides happen each season, plus a bonus ride this year the weekend of Bay to Breakers.
People walking or running by looked on in amusement and snapped photos, as the bikers, some wearing just an open button-down shirt, some covered in body paint and some completely nude, prepared for their trek toward the Castro, enjoying the sun and mild weather.
Flyers handed out at the event encouraged people to embrace being nude and “join the fun.”
“Nudism is freedom,” a banner held by participants read. “Life is too short to do otherwise.”
Nudity is nothing new in San Francisco. While being naked on any city sidewalks, plazas, parklets, streets and public transit has been banned in the city since 2012, “social nudity” is allowed at parades, festivals and events such as the World Naked Bike Ride, Bay to Breakers and the Folsom Street Fair.
In addition to nude activism, the ride seeks to call attention to road safety. San Francisco has continued to grapple with traffic deaths, even after pledging to eliminate traffic fatalities by this year a decade ago with its Vision Zero program. Traffic fatalities have usually fluctuated from 20 to the low 30s each year since 2014, but hit a near record 39 in 2022.
“We want to make roads safer for everyone,” said Martin Moulton, who has participated in naked bike rides across the country since 2000. “When roads are safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, they’re safer for everyone, including cars.”
Participants also said that they hope the ride encourages people to take alternative, more climate-friendly modes of transportation.
“We’re not against cars. We understand a lot of people have to use cars,” Moulton said. But he hopes more people will turn to low-cost options such as biking and walking if they are able to.
After cycling along the Embarcadero, the riders swept down to City Hall, through the Panhandle and part of Golden Gate Park before heading through the Haight toward the Castro, where several businesses were open for after-parties.
Moulton added that he’s never heard a complaint about the nude treks across the city — only that participants who hesitated to bare it all at the start wish they had at the ride’s end.
“By the end, they say, ‘I wish I had just taken those shorts off,’ ” he said.