CA Man Files Federal Lawsuit Over Right to Wear a Thong in Public

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on March 16, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

You gotta fight for your right to wear a loin cloth in public, and that's just what Will Walters is doing. The 30-year-old gay man has sued the city of San Diego and some of its police officers, accusing them of violating his scantily clad civil rights.

Walters was arrested on suspicion of public nudity while at the city's July 2011 LGBT Pride Festival. Local law enforcement clearly didn't understand that a "gladiator type kilt over black underwear" is de rigueur for such events.

But Will Walters did, which is why his attorney contends he "invested a significant sum of money in his leather gear and took special care to ensure that he was compliant with the rules for the event." The skimpy loin cloth, as shown in photos posted by LA Weekly, covers just the right amount of skin.

Nonetheless, he was arrested -- an action he claims violated his Fourth Amendment rights. If his clothing really did conceal all of his legally designated naughty bits, then officers had no probable cause to put him in cuffs.

And then there's the accusation that the San Diego Police Department subjectively enforces the law. Walters argues that women are allowed to parade around in G-strings and thongs without much of a second glance. How come they can violate the city's public nudity law but gay men can't?

With most police officers being men, one could only guess that cops are far less interested in the possibility of seeing Will Walters' butt.

Related Resources:

San Diego man taking his loincloth to federal court (NBC)
Indecent Exposure (FindLaw)
Judge Orders NYC Artist's Models to Keep G-Strings on Until Dusk (FindLaw's Legally Weird)