One aspect to my role at the University is to lead research for the law team. It's often the case that beyond teaching, students rarely see what we do. I've been keen to change that by introducing student research internships, in which students apply to work with academics on small discrete research activities, and in the course of which students get to see how we spend their not insignificant fees.
Anyway, I worked on a little project with a student intern last year, kicking around some ideas for a potential project, which ultimately led to this little piece which appeared on the Freedom in a Puritan Age webzine earlier this week.
It examines the controversial nudity ban in San Francisco. Take a look at what I hope will be the first of many publications for my wonderful student intern, Sara Mohammadzadeh.
Who would have thunk it? The British Civil Service do not - so the Daily Mail suggested this week - have much by the way of political nous. They do however have an ability to examine issues and reach conclusions based on evidence rather than the rip tides of media presentation and response.
The Mail reported on Friday that as part of an attempt to reduce state involvement in individuals lives (is this linked to the Your Freedom project launched back in 2010 which didn't seem to deliver?) civil servants had suggested the lowering of the age of consent to 14, not in response to a headline, but in response to detailed consideration of evidence and time-consuming analysis. Politicians on the other hand have different agendas, and in the wake of the Savile scandal, it's not the best of timing for such a proposal. Consequently, the Government can appear the voice of common sense by kicking the proposal into the long grass. I think the proposal (as described in the Mail) has merit but even I wouldn't have suggested it at the moment. Indeed, I am rather grateful that Jimmy Savile did not find the cure for cancer in his dying days, as it would surely now be blasphemy to want to use it. Toxic doesn't come close (see the rather wonderful Martin Rowson cartoon from the Guardian today).
However, discussion about some modification of the law relating to nudity (with a view to creating a more 'enlightened' law) appear to still be on the cards. Promising stuff, and one to watch (as it were).
The broader question is whether these reforms will lead to a Bill which seeks to re-orinetate some sexual freedoms and revises some areas of law which are not currently working. The Lib Dems are apparently leading on these proposals so we shall have to see.
As if the excitement of Up Your Alley wasn't enough for folks in San Francisco this weekend, there is also an organised 'Nude In'. A local nudist group asks: Just how many naked people can fit in the CASTRO COMMONS PLAZA? How long can we hang out before the COPS show up? What will you say if someone challenges your right to be NAKED?
They aim to find out this Saturday at noon at the Castro Commons Plaza. The group has a Facebook page here and a blog page here. At the time of writing, the FB apge has 30 people attending, and asks people to 'make a statement for body freedom and acceptance, come get buck naked in public with us! Remember your camera, forget your inhibitions.'
It's an interesting injection of radicalism to the weekend. It will certainly be interesting to see how the incident is responded to. If you attend, please post in the comments any news/feedback on the event.
UPDATE: Late on Saturday, organisers posted the following on their FB page:
'Many thanks to all of our naked pals for joining us in the plaza this afternoon! We counted a total of 21 different naked men during the Noon-to-3pm timeframe. We really appreciate your support and we are pleased you spent your Saturday afternoon naked with us!'
So...not a huge turnout but enough to grab the attention of passers by?
Another post, another apology I'm afraid! This time, over what will be a series of stories from the Guardian (it's rather good on law and sexuality matters!). The Weekend Magazine has a fascinating piece today on the photographer Laura Pannack and her project to photograph young naturists. Yes, young naturists.
When I was at high school we went on a water sports trip to the South of France. During several days canoeing down the Ardèche Gorges (one of the best vacations I've ever had - I was of a different physical build back then!) we made routine stops for lunch etc. On one occasion we stopped off at a beach only to find it was a nudist beach. A range of middle aged people with small penises and big flabby boobs were everywhere. As Michael Caine didn't quite say: "nudists...thousands of them". We tend to think of nudists as the person we least desire to encounter nude. In our popular conscience, Gavin Henson look-alikes are not nudists, but Ann Widdecombe look-alikes are.
This study is therefore fascinating - yes we see a range of body builds among the young but firstly, they are young! Many are also really quite beautiful. The pictures expose a world ironically so often hidden to society. They tackle our pre-conceptions about nudists. You can read the full piece here.
The above Little Britain intros seemed appropriate after reading a number of stories concerning outraging public decency in the UK over the last week. Thanks to Ian for flagging up the first two stories. First off, we travel to Suffolk where the Police found themselves responding to complaints about a naked cyclist. I'm slightly confused by the report which states that the man at the centre of the case has not been cautioned or charged but the case has been passed to the CPS.
The story is truly little Britain for the complaint came about because local villagers had organised a 'speed trap' to presumably catch speeding motorists when they encountered a naked cyclist speeding past them instead. I just can't imagine that happening anywhere other than Britain for some reason.
Should you live in fear of naked cyclists speeding past you, it seems that you're not safe in Scotland either where a 17 yr old apparently"terrified" an 11 year old girl after cycling naked down a country lane. He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register which seems a crazy over-reaction to this incident. Read that story in full here.
Both cases say much about our attitudes towards nudity and the human body. Namely, we don't like it. We also had a story this week in my neck of the woods - Sunderland. A 25 year old guy was caught wanking on two occasions on a bus and charged with outraging public decency. Interestingly, the defence (which seems appropriate and should work) is that he wasn't actually exposing himself as he was wanking through his trousers. Ah, the curious joys of English law. Whatever happens to this guy, he's been named in the local press and his address given - a public shaming which thanks to the web will haunt him every time someone Googles his name
The activity of wanking in public - on buses and trains in particular - has an enormously high profile on various 'home-made' porn sites in which people upload videos of their public masturbation antics. Many include shots of the public (oblivious) in the background. It's an aspect I need to give more thought to but I suspect these cases will further feed into the current review by the Law Commission of this offence.
In the meantime, from Britain, Britain, Britain, you may find this next song equally appropriate...
One aspect to my role at the University is to lead research for the law team. It's often the case that beyond teaching, students rarely see what we do. I've been keen to change that by introducing student research internships, in which students apply to work with academics on small discrete research activities, and in the course of which students get to see how we spend their not insignificant fees.
