World Naked Bike Ride : Chicago

(This piece was written by Dawn Sunshine Heilung)

REAL TALK about OUR SAFETY and CONSENT…

The WNBR Chicago is a liberating joyful experience, but over the years we have seen a few people get harmed and their consent violated. World Naked Bike Ride is a protest against the dependency on fossil fuels, for environmental justice, and for bicycle safety in a world that says bikers don't belong on all roads. WNBR intentionally uses “nakedness” of bike riders compared to cars to fight for better bike infrastructure and bicycle awareness. Whether it’s some as**at telling a woman she isn’t hot enough to be naked, or people that think it’s cool to touch someone without consent — this all amounts to abuse. As a result and to keep this ride as safe as we can for everyone, especially femme and gender nonconforming people, the following needs to be adhered-

CODE OF CONDUCT:

Respect for All Bodies
The Chicago Naked Bike Ride is dedicated to making cycling, nudity and free expression safe and enjoyable for everyone. WNBR practices consent as a baseline and celebrations of bodies of all kinds.

WNBR’s Sexual and Physical Harassment Policy

WE (organizers, volunteers, and participants) will ensure that all meetings and events pertaining to and organized by the Chicago Naked Bike Ride are safe, comfortable and enjoyable for everyone involved.

WE (organizers, volunteers, and participants) will ensure that no one, under any circumstance, participates in any form of sexual or physical harassment.

Sexual and physical harassment is: Unwelcome verbal remarks or physical behavior of a sexual nature, especially when concerning a person’s body or sexuality.

Unwelcome Behavior is the critical word. Unwelcome does not mean “involuntary.” A victim may consent or agree to certain conduct and actively participate in it even if some people find it offensive or objectionable. Therefore, conduct or behavior is unwelcome whenever the person subjected to it considers it unwelcome. Whether the person in fact welcomed the act or behavior depends on all the circumstances.

Sexual and physical harassment includes, but is not limited to, the following unwanted behaviors:
- Commenting on another person’s body (Comment: A remark, opinion or description)
- Commenting on another person’s sexuality (Sexuality: Anything relating to the person’s sexual nature as a human being)
- Expressing an opinion about another person’s body
- Expressing an opinion about an aspect of another person’s body
- Expressing an opinion about another person’s sexuality
Expressing an opinion about an aspect of another person’s sexuality
- Unwanted sexual looks or gestures
- Cat calls
- Comments about a person’s anatomy, clothing or looks
- Unwanted sexual or physical jokes, teasing, remarks or questions
- Asking someone about their body or their sexuality
- Touching someone’s clothing, hair or body without their permission
- Staring at someone
- Asking personal questions about social or sexual life
- Looking a person up and down (elevator eyes)
- Following someone
- Repeatedly asking out a person who is not interested
- Asking about sexual fantasies, preferences or history
- Making sexual gestures with hands or other body movement

The WNBR is dedicated to the prevention of sexual and physical harassment at all WNBR meetings and events. The WNBR reserves the right to remove any organizer, volunteer, or participant who violates this policy from the event in which the violation occurs as well as ban the violator from any and all future WNBR events.

WNBR Photograph and Video Policy

WNBR does not recruit, hire, or contract any photographers, videographers, etc.
We welcome photography/filming during the ride, but there are restrictions.
Photographers/Videographers (including any rider with phone/camera phone)
RESPECT everyone.

ASK permission before photographing/videographing anyone, before and after the ride. Yes, even if the are in the crowd or background. Frame photos of just you and or your friends, or use a wall for background to avoid accidentally photographing folks without consent.
CONSENT to one photographer/videographer does not imply consent to all.
WE (organizers, volunteers, and participants) will enforce these restrictions without exception.
WE recognize that this is a N**E and PUBLIC event.
WE will do our own policy enforcement.
WE have the right to say “NO” to anyone taking photos/videos and/or asking permission to do so.
WE will identify any aggressive photographer/videographer and inform others.
WE will assist each other in defusing a troublesome situation.
WE will ask anyone violating these restrictions to stop and desist, and if it continues, to leave the event.
Ultimately, one of the goals of the Chicago Naked Bike Ride is to desexualize nudity and to encourage everyone to embrace nudity as a normal, enjoyable way of life. Following this policy will help further this goal and teach all of us how to be better people in general.

WE (organizers, volunteers, and participants) vow to confront anyone that we see engaging in these types of behaviors.
We create a culture of safety and inclusion by actively intervening when our consent agreements are violated. If you see someone's consent violated in any way, don't wait! Intervene! Let’s work together to make this a radical, naked space.

OUR VOICES ARE POWERFUL — calling out inappropriate behavior immediately is the best way to nip it in the bud. Creeps and bullies can’t handle being called out. When we all raise our voices together, they break down and retreat.

We have volunteers in yellow vests looking out for your safety, but we can’t be everywhere and catch everything. ALL OF US need to be looking out for ourselves, our friends, and our community.

ASK FIRST!!
We are committed to a strict consent policy. Want to touch someone? ASK THEM! Yes, even a hug or high five. "If it's not a HELL YES; then it's a NO!" Asking someone multiple times after they've said no once is also a violation of consent. "NO." is a full and complete sentence

CALL OUT anyone who violates your bodily autonomy or our consent policy.

CALL OUT any harassment or non-consensual touching you see.

BACK UP those calling out creeps. While this is an anti-shame space, shame is a powerful tool against those who harm others. SHAME creeps until they leave. For example, if someone touches someone without their consent ...
Call out the behavior and bring attention to the consent violator.
Protect the person who has had their consent violated.
Pay attention and follow up as needed.
Send someone to notify a safety volunteer or go yourself.

KEEP YOUR CLOTHES
"Bare as you dare" means you don’t have to be naked, but some people will be.
You are expected to have your clothes with you at all times. You might lose track of your friends/affinity group. You might need to pull over or leave the ride and you don't want to be stranded naked in the streets.

KEEP YOUR DISTANCE
We are still in a pandemic. Masking is encouraged! Get your vaccines updated! Get tested before you come! Don’t come if you sick!

DON’T GAWK This event is about protest not voyeurism!

If you don’t 100% support all of these philosophies and policies, then this definitely isn’t the ride for you.