2000.07.17 The Guardian
The nudists of Rincon Point beach were discretion itself. There were the families playing the traditional naturist sport of volleyball and men of all ages sunbathing behind shelters built from driftwood washed in from the Pacific on to this stretch of coast south of Santa Barbara.
But now this beach, like many others in California and Florida which allow nude swimming and sunbathing, is coming under attack in what is seen as a new wave of puritanism.
Next month Korina Jochim, 25, will appear in court in Santa Barbara charged with breaking a bylaw which prohibits women from "showing any portion of her breasts below the areolas".
Ms Jochim has been campaigning for the right of women to sunbathe topless on beaches and is contesting the charge to challenge the growing number of bylaws closing down nude beaches around the US.
"We are fighting this as a gender equality issue," said Ms Jochim, who was arrested with a friend on nearby Summer land beach. "There are topless bars and porn videos around everywhere and our argument is that it would be much healthier for people not to see women's bodies in this sexualised way."
Ms Jochim said there had been an attempt to stop topless and nude sunbathing along the coast. She is being backed in her campaign by naturist organisations, which argue that designated beaches traditionally used for nude sunbathing should not be shut down.
"These are mostly pretty remote beaches," Ms Jochim said yesterday. "It's not as if you are suddenly going to stumble upon them."
She will be defended by Robert Harris, who represented topless dancers in freedom of expression cases in the 70s and who has come out of retirement for the trial.
He will cite the 1992 case of the People v Santorelli, in which an appeal court in New York ruled that Ramona Santorelli was entitled to be topless in a state park since she had the same protection under the law as men.
The campaign to reverse the bylaws forbidding topless and nude bathing on beaches where where the practice is traditional is led by a group called Top Freedom, which was formed last year after local sheriffs started arresting sunbathers. The sheriffs have stepped up their activity this summer.
Earlier this year Tecopa hot springs near Death Valley, believed to be the only area in the US where bathing is compulsorily nude, was also under threat after some tourists objected to stripping off.
Nudity is insisted on to prevent contamination by bathing suit materials. Residents fought off local council plans to make bathing suits compulsory but said they feared their victory was only temporary.
Officials and police in the Santa Barbara area say that nude beaches attract voyeurs and sex offenders, and that nudity can make family groups uncomfortable.
But campaigners argue that beaches could be designated away from populous areas, zoned, and sign-posted with warnings.
Korina Jochim says she hopes the attention generated by the case will raise awareness of the issue and allow Californians to retain their bathing habits without fear of arrest.
