SAN FRANCISCO—A group of San Francisco nudists took to the streets on February 12, for the second annual Nude Valentine’s Day Parade.
The parade began at noon in the Castro District, and the crowd made its way from Jane Warner Plaza to City Hall.
Nude activist Gypsy Taub released a statement inviting fellow nudists to join in the parade. Taub stated that during this current “climate of hate,” the parade presented the time to “demand freedom on all levels of human existence.”
“We want to show the world that we are not afraid, that we are united in the name of love and that we have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of,” said Taub. “We want our naked bodies to demonstrate that we don’t fight with weapons nor violence, but with our hearts and minds using the power of our spirit and the power of love. We don’t hide under military camouflage, nor do we cover our faces nor our bodies out of fear. We are not afraid to just be ourselves in the name of love, in the name of freedom.”
The group prepared unified chants for the event, mostly centered around the idea of acceptance and the end of body shaming.
“Clothes are boring, clothes are lame! Let’s say ‘No’ to body shame!” nudists chanted throughout the parade.
Taub has organized similar events in the past, including the inaugural Nude Valentine’s Day parade that began last year. She also started the nude “Summer of Love” parade last August, which saw two dozen nude people walk from the Castro district to Haight-Ashbury.
Taub’s activism has led to run-ins with city government, over a ban on public nudity in San Francisco. In 2015, a federal judge ordered that the city grant a permit to Taub and other nudists, after the city sought to block the group from holding a “Nude-In March.”
