Nudity debate dividing Vermont town

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MONTPELIER, Vt., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Officials in the town of Brattleboro, Vt., are split over how best to define nudity in a proposed law that would make being naked illegal.

While most members of the town's select board do not disagree with a law that would ban public nudity, some have argued that the situation could get out of hand without specific descriptions of possible violations, the Brattleboro (Vt.) Reformer said Wednesday.

"I have visions of people being Tasered and pepper sprayed because they are refusing to go and they are naked," board member Dora Bouboulis said.

The town previously instituted an emergency ordinance on the matter following a visit from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals activists, two of which disrobed in public as part of a demonstration.

"The town was exploited," board member Dick DeGray said of that occurrence. "They would not have come to town had we had an ordinance in place."

Under the current proposed ordinance, anyone caught naked in public inside the town's borders would face a disorderly conduct charge, the Reformer reported.