One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
It's Not Anti-Gay To Arrest A Man For Wearing A Leather Loincloth, Judge Rules
San Diego cops who arrested a man for wearing a leather loincloth were not anti-gay, according to a federal judge who tossed the man's civil rights lawsuit.In his lawsuit, William X. Walters also claimed that his loincloth did not violate the city's anti-nudity laws, which got him arrested in the first place. He claimed that women are still allowed to wear skimpy outfits such as g-strings and thongs at other outdoor events, but if a gay man does it, it's an arrestable offense, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Walters was reveling with other partygoers during San Diego Pride in Balboa Park while wearing a "gladiator-type leather loincloth" and a leather harness. When he was approached by cops and told to cover up, things got a little testy:
Walters' ordeal began when, he says, an officer injected himself into a conversation among himself, a photographer and a handful of others inside the beer garden. The group was discussing his leather outfit, after the photographer had completed an impromptu photo shoot of Walters. "[The cop] said, 'In my opinion, it's borderline illegal,'" Walters told San Diego LGBT Weekly.
According to Walters, the officer responded by saying, "I am the authority and my opinion is the only one that matters."
But Walters technically wasn't naked—he was only wearing a very revealing and very kinky outfit that most likely would not look entirely out of place at a pride event.
Walters wasn't charged with any crime, but he sued the city, claiming that he was only targeted for being gay. Indeed, Walters may be the only San Diego resident who has been arrested under the anti-nudity law who wasn't technically naked, the Times says.
In judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo's ruling, the city did not act in a discriminatory fashion against Walters. "There is nothing on the record that reasonably suggests sexual orientation had anything to do with the decision" to ask Walters to cover up, Bencivengo said.
Bencivengo also wrote that while Walters' loincloth covered his naughty bits, his butt was exposed when a slight breeze blew by, therefore making it eligible under the city's anti-nudity law.
Sponsored message
But Walters' lawyer, Chris Morris, plans on taking the case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to try to win one for the beleaguered leather loincloth community.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
