Iowans chafe at nearly nude billboard

DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Des Moines, Iowa, residents would like to strip a billboard showing nearly nude women, but city officials say it's an expression of free speech.

Numerous complaints have been lodged regarding the Minx Show Palace's billboard of "Karina" and "JayCee" in rhinestone spiked heels and strategically placed purple fabric, the Des Moines Register reported Monday.

But according to Joe Bolke, a Des Moines zoning officer, regulating the content of billboards falls outside the city's jurisdiction.

"It's a free-speech issue," Bolke said. "There's a fairly long history of court cases that indicate the city doesn't have control over it."

Still, residents said they wished the club would temper their constitutionally protected right to free speech.

"I'm not trying to say the Minx can't have a billboard," said Michelle Butler, a mother of five who lives less than a block from the billboard. "Just take the woman spread-eagle off there."