Against Nudity Ban, Ore. Gallery Takes It All Off

[Elmore Furth]

OK, even I think they should be wearing long johns with the private areas cut out just to protect from hypothermia.

ASHLAND, Ore. (AP) -- A city council member in an Oregon town noted for its Shakespeare festival and its occasional dustups over public nudity plans a showing in his art gallery of nude portraits and conceptual art involving naked people.

For gallery-goers as well, clothing will be optional -- even though it's winter in Ashland, a small college town on the California border

''We feel that the nude ban is not only an attack on freedom of expression but also an attack on the human body itself,'' Navickas said. ''We wanted to have a show to celebrate the nude body and differentiate the nude body from anything indecent.''

The ban was proposed after two men were spotted walking naked near schools. The council is to vote next month on the issue.