Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe RIVIERA BEACH, Fla., April 13 (UPI) -- Wearing low pants that expose boxer shorts is a constitutionally protected expression of identity, say opponents of a saggy pants ban in Riviera Beach, Fla. Palm Beach County public defenders are challenging a law passed last year by more than 70 percent of voters that makes it illegal to wear pants low enough to show skin or underwear, The New York Times reported Monday. Advertisement Twenty young men in Riviera have been charged under the ordinance and have cases pending, the Times reported, noting other cities, including Lynwood, Ill.; and Flint, Mich., have similar bans. Public defenders in Riviera Beach argue the ban violates freedom of expression and has focused exclusively on young black men. Others argue they shouldn't have to have see "people's behinds or their undergarments," Riviera Mayor Thomas Masters told the Times. Communities have the right to maintain social standards, just as they have the right to dictate the height to which trees can grow, Masters said. "I think society has the right to draw the line," Masters said to the newspaper.
