The World Naked Bike Ride will be returning to New Orleans on June 11, and it will be a sight to take in. The ride is a form of protest that formed in 2004 and has taken nude riders to numerous countries around the world ever since. The aim is to bring awareness to drivers and distracted bicyclists of the dangers of not paying attention to riders on the road, and the means of garnering that attention is stark – to say the least.
The point of the nudity, according to local organizer Shane Steinkamp, is to emphasize the vulnerability of bikers. World Naked Bike Ride doesn’t demand that it’s volunteers and cyclists strip completely; in fact, those who participate have total say in what they want to wear (or not wear). However, it is an option for participants to paint themselves white in tribute to cyclists who have lost their lives on the road.
Although the laws of public nudity may be ambiguous within these circumstances, no one has been arrested for being in the ride before. For the event on June 11, organizers have hired local officers off-duty to act as escorts as they navigate through the French Quarter.
