After a naked child was apparently allowed to participate alongside nude adults in a so-called “body positivity” bike ride around Madison’s Capitol Square on Saturday, a member of the Dane County Board of Supervisors is calling for a police investigation.
About 150 adult bicyclists, most of whom were reportedly totally naked except for shoes and helmets, paraded around downtown Madison last weekend. Their route included State Street, a popular pedestrian road that connects to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But it also included a couple of loops around Capitol Square, where every Saturday during the summer, locals, including families and young children, gather for the busy farmer’s market.
Unsuspecting little market-goers weren’t the only kids affected by the ride, however: Eye-witnesses immediately began reporting seeing a naked child participating in the event.
“Genuine question here (at risk of being accused of parent shaming, I have genuine confusion). Are children allowed to participate??” a Redditor asked on the Madison subreddit. “My friend said they think they saw a child participating and that was… surprising to hear.”
“Yeah I saw a naked kid near the front of the group when they were biking around the square, probably under 10 years old,” replied another. “That was weird. I assume one or both of her parents were also participating.”
While self-styled Madison progressives cheer the annual ride as “really liberating,” claiming “Nobody’s looking” at other people’s bodies and, “We’re just getting together and having fun” (something most people can do without stripping), the ride
