Nude teens taking it off and testing limits in bohemian Vermont town

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Public nudity isn't new to this bastion of bohemia, but it usually bares itself in more subtle places than the downtown parking lot.

This summer, a group of teenagers has disrobed near restaurants, bookstores and the town's many galleries, igniting a debate about whether Brattleboro should ban a practice long tolerated.

"Brattleboro tends to be a laid-back town and pretty accepting of the unusual, but this is really pushing limits," said Police Chief John Martin. "It's clearly to outrage people; it's clearly rebelliousness."

By most accounts, the stripping started on a whim in early summer when a young woman sat naked on a park bench, Martin said. Then another woman started taking her shirt off downtown.

A music festival promoting nudity and rebelliousness set up in May in a downtown parking lot attracted nude hula hoopers.

Last month, a half-dozen young people bared their bodies in a parking lot, encircled by bookstores, coffee shops and restaurants.

"It's just an act of freedom," said Adhi Palar, 19. "We're just doing so because we can."

Palar said he and the others "do not consider nakedness to be innately sexual or rude and it shouldn't be confined to that."

All the bare skin has raised eyebrows, even in this town of 12,000 residents that has seen clothing-optional swimming holes, streakers and an event known as "Breast Fest," which featured women parading topless.

"To most people, it's not a big deal," said Catherine Kauffman, 57, who calls Brattleboro "a don't-take-away-too-many-of-my-rights kind of town."

To others, it's disturbing and something more than harmless rebellion.

"It's a bad image for Brattleboro," said Ozzie Kocaoglu, 43, who owns the Sundried Tomato restaurant, a teen hangout.

Vermont has no state laws against public nudity, but communities can write their own bans. At least eight cities and towns have anti-nudity ordinances, according to the Vermont League of Cities and Towns.

For now Brattleboro is weighing its options, and waiting for summer to turn to fall.

"As soon as winter comes, there won't be a story anymore," said Town Clerk Annette Cappy.