This year’s “all ages” Seattle Pride Parade included something you don’t often see in public: adult men on bicycles wearing helmets but no pants.
A dozen naked men, some wearing body paint, rode slowly along the parade route Sunday before stopping and waving to the cheering crowd, which included children, as shown on video taken by the Post Millennial.
Some of the bikes had signs attached that said, “Challenge Body Shame/Build Self Esteem” and “Pride for Every Body.”
Elsewhere, a few naked adult men cooled off in a public water fountain as young children played nearby, as shown on video.
“Naked men are now playing in the fountain where children are present,” the Post Millennial, a conservative publication based in Canada, tweeted along with the graphic video. “Their genitalia is fully-exposed as they cool themselves off and wash each other down with water.”
LGBTQ Pride Month parades are known for pushing the limits on bawdiness and sexual content, but the appearance of fully nude adult men at a crowded public event crossed a line for some commenters.
“A group of naked men participated in the Seattle Gay Pride parade – exposing themselves to small children along the parade route,” said conservative radio host Todd Starnes in a post.
“The graphic video, which you can watch below, shows the men flaunting their genitals in front of kids,” he said. “These are the same people who tell us they are ‘not’ coming for your children.”
Seattle Pride, the event’s organizer, said on its website that the “Parade is all about inclusiveness – so all ages gather along the route to watch the festivities.”
Those applauding Sunday’s 49th annual parade included Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.
“It was great to feel the love, energy, and sunshine at today’s #Pride parade with @CityofSeattle employees!” Mr. Harrell tweeted. “Our diversity makes us stronger, which is why we must send a clear message to our LGBTQIA+ community today and every day: we see you, we support you, and you belong here.”
Podcast host Dennis Michael Lynch tweeted: “If you’re going to paint yourself, walk around naked, and play in a public fountain, I question your level of sanity. But when you do it in front of kids, without pause, I think you should be placed on a watch list.”
In Washington state, however, appearing nude in public isn’t against the law, as long as you don’t engage in lewd or obscene behavior, according to the Seattle Police Department.
Under the state’s indecent exposure law, it’s a misdemeanor to “make any open and obscene exposure of his or her person or the person of another knowing that such conduct is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm.”
“Historically, it has been difficult in Seattle to prosecute cases of public nudity,” the department wrote in a 2008 post.
The parade has included for the last few years Boy Scouts in uniform holding rainbow flags.
There was at least one sight that went too far for the Seattle parade organizers — cop uniforms.
The Seattle Police Officers Guild said last week that its uniformed members were banned from marching in the event.
“They [officers] value inclusiveness and demand respect not only for proudly being LGBTQ but for serving our community as police officers,” said Guild President Mike Solan in a June 16 statement. “Anyone that believes in their banishment has no place in Seattle and does not believe in the inclusive LGBTQ message.”
He added that the department has lost 600 members and that the “bigoted decisions banning uniformed officers from Pride events do not aid in stopping this mass exodus of cops.”
Seattle Pride also banned uniformed officers from participating in last year’s parade, saying the request “was based on past interactions with police,” as reported by KOMO-TV.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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