St. Petersburg lawmakers want to crack down on revealing clothing in public
Local lawmakers in St. Petersburg have voiced their support for a new initiative by conservative city councilman Vitaly Milonov, who’s best known for his efforts to curb gay rights. On June 8, Milonov’s committee in the city council approved a draft of his proposal to fine people for total and partial nudity in the city.
The measure targets both nudists and St. Petersburg’s “summer fashion culture,” imposing 5,000-ruble ($90) fines on people who appear in public completely nude and 3,000-ruble fines on people who expose their underwear or wear only bathing suits.
Milonov’s legislation makes exceptions for sports stadiums and certain squares, parks, forests, and beaches. “Soccer fans needn’t fret,” Milonov said, explaining that he isn’t trying to get in the way of men who like removing their shirts at games.
The current draft of the legislation makes no distinction between men’s underwear and women’s underwear, and some city council members worry that the ban on revealing clothing would be applied to people exercising outside. It’s also conceivable that the law could apply to people suntanning in places that aren’t included specifically in the list of exceptions.
Only one member of Milonov’s committee, Alexander Kobrinsky, refused to support the initiative, saying the idea was like something out of the Soviet Union. “We might as well fine people for having unwashed clothes and dirty hands,” he said.
According to Fontanka.ru, the city council might reject Milonov’s proposal when it comes to the floor for a general vote. “Everyone already knows that walking around nude is no good,” one of the news agency’s sources said.
“People have lost all shame and conscience. Before, scantily clad persons drinking beer and chewing seeds would have been grabbed by the scruff of their necks and set straight. Now that’s not allowed. Now our police have to do everything according to the law,” Milonov said.