No Pants Light Rail Ride was a no-duh bad idea for Phoenix

One of the Valley’s more peculiar celebrations was held over the weekend, a “body positive” event in which people decide to ditch their britches and ride the light rail.

So there they were, joy riding around town in their undies alongside the pantsed crowd.

There were boxers, briefs and one dude parading around in a bikini-cut leather affair with the zipper strategically — potentially painfully, I’d imagine — placed over his, um, assets.

In the scheme of all that ails us, Sunday’s No Pants Light Rail Ride would normally rate a few chuckles, passing thoughts of where to buy eye bleach and a sizable amount of staring.

Pre-pandemic it was a yearly prank, one that originated on the New York City subway, and nobody got their panties in a bunch.

Really, it’s nothing you wouldn’t see at a beach or the public pool.

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But this isn't the beach. It's a public train upon which parents and their children ride — not because they want to see a skin show but because it’s the only way they can get from point A to point B.

Meanwhile, public transportation — light rail in particular — is under fire in Arizona.

Already, Arizona’s hard right legislators have killed efforts to expand the Valley’s light rail system. A coming $24 billion proposal asking Maricopa County voters to extend the half-cent transportation sales tax comes with a proviso that the money may be used only to operate and maintain the existing lines.

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And even that will be a fight this fall when the tax extension goes on the ballot. Some of our leaders would rather shut down public transit than fund it given the cost. Their constituents, after all, don’t need or use it.

So now come light rail riders in their underpants.

Far-right may use this in its campaign

Naturally, the hard right is horrified (and secretly thrilled, I imagine, to extend their war on drag queens and library books to the pantless on public transit).

“This city of Phoenix just allowed something called ‘No Pants Light Rail Day’ to take place,” conservative podcaster Matt Walsh wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “A group of adults rode public transportation in their underwear. Some of them wore fetish gear. Children were present. This is horrific. Every adult involved should be in jail.”

“I proudly voted no on Prop 400, which will bring more of this to a neighborhood near you,” Rep. Rachel Jones, R-Tucson, wrote. “Disgraceful!”

“Proud to say that I did not vote for prop 400 which will add more light rail across all of Phoenix and your suburbs. #Arizona #AZGOP,” Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale, chimed in.

I don’t know if they are really scandalized or more just energized to renew their fight to kill public transit.

But expect them and other opponents of light rail to reprint those pictures of scantily clad riders later this year as light rail and the rest of the Valley's regional transportation system comes up for a public vote.

Won’t that be a kick in the pants?

Reach Roberts at laurie.roberts@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LaurieRoberts.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix's No Pants Light Rail Ride was a no-duh bad idea