Senate approves bills aimed at ending World Naked Bike Ride events on mostly party lines

MADISON — The state Senate approved two bills aimed at ending World Naked Bike Ride events in Wisconsin after police found no laws were broken when a young girl participated in the Madison ride this summer.

Without debating the measures, lawmakers landed mostly among party lines — all Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Robert Wirch of Somers, voted in favor. The bills are also ready for a vote in the Assembly, but were not included on the chamber's calendar for Tuesday.

While Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has told reporters "it's probably not a really good idea" for children to participate in the event, he expressed doubts about "litigating and legislating things that frankly don’t need it," indicating the bills could receive his veto.

One bill would change the language in state law from "indecent" exposure of genitals in public to simply "intentional" exposure, with exceptions for breastfeeding or diapering a baby. Under the bills, violations would result in a Class A misdemeanor, which carries up to a $10,000 fine, nine months in jail or both.

The other would prohibit people from allowing minors to attend "an event at which a group of adult participants intentionally expose their genitals, buttocks or other intimate parts in a public area." It would also prohibit taking pictures of nude children at the event, unless for the purpose of reporting it to police within a day.

More: A young girl's participation in Madison's Naked Bike Ride didn't violate state law, police say. Here's why.

Republican lawmakers introduced the legislation in response to complaints that a girl, believed to be about 10 years old, rode in the June event in Madison. A photo posted to Facebook showed the girl, facing away from the camera, riding a bike while nude with her buttocks visible.

"It's kind of a joke, but it's not a joke," said Senate President Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, an author of the bills, said at the first public hearing. "This is a pretty serious issue, especially in today's society."

At another public hearing, participants defended the events and said ending them would infringe on their free speech rights. Organizers say the event is a protest against greenhouse gas emissions and a celebration of body positivity. Artists also expressed concerns that the bills restrict them from working as nude models.

"Depriving a child the right to attend a benign event such as the World Naked Bike Ride, under the described circumstances, negates that child's fundamental right of assembly, and parents' rights to include their families in assembly," organizers testified.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Senate advances bills aimed at ending World Naked Bike Ride events