A judge has ruled that women must be allowed to go topless at a public beach in Seattle infamous for nudity and sexual activity.
Denny Blaine Park on the coast of Lake Washington is an unofficial nude beach and has long been a popular gathering place for the city's gay community.
King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung ordered the beach to close temporarily last year because of aggressive sexual behavior.
Locals who live near the beach had filed a lawsuit that prompted Judge Chung's 2025 order. The suit included video evidence of people masturbating in the park.
The group wrote an open letter to the community detailing troubling incidents, which included a man exposing himself to a female neighbor while making sexually aggressive remarks.
The letter also mentioned ongoing trespassing, indecent exposure and 'menacing behavior.'
Judge Chung ruled that the sexual behavior and nudity at the park constituted a 'public nuisance' and ordered the city to develop a plan to combat the offensive behavior.
That led to the installation of fencing, increased staff and signs outlining park rules. In August, the city also designated a 'clothing required' section of the park.
A Seattle judge has ruled that women must be allowed to be topless at Denny Blaine Park
The beach has previously been mired in controversy due to frequent acts of sexually aggressive behavior
A nearby homeowner then began hiring private security who would order topless beachgoers in the 'clothing required' area to cover up and report them to Seattle police, according to a community group called Friends of Denny Blaine.
King County Superior Court Judge Samuel Chung issued the ruling mandating that toplessness be allowed at the beach. Last year, he ordered the beach to be temporarily closed due to the sexually aggressive behavior
Friends of Denny Blaine supports allowing nudity in the park and works to protect its status as 'a historic queer gathering space.'
The group filed a motion, which was reviewed by the Seattle Times, to reportedly confirm that no one must cover their torsos at the park, regardless of sex, gender or gender identity.
Seattle police would not cite the beachgoers reported to them by private security, as public nudity is legal anywhere in the city, though it is a bit of a gray area as 'lewd' nudity can still be considered indecent exposure, which is a crime.
Still, Friends of Denny Blaine said that the private security primarily targeted women for enforcement of the 'clothing required' area, which was a violation of state and federal laws prohibiting sex-based discrimination.
The group also claimed that the actions of the private security broke city rules and threatened the beach's status as a 'rare safe space' for Seattle's queer community.
A few days before Judge Chung's latest ruling on Friday, the city sided with Friends of Denny Blaine and said that its abatement plan does not require torso coverings in the 'clothing required' area.
Friends of Denny Blaine released a statement that said: 'Denny Blaine Park is not private property. It is a public beach, a historic queer gathering space, and a place where no one should have to wonder whether a neighbor’s security guard will decide their body is a problem.
A community group filed a lawsuit complaining of the aggressive sexual behavior in the park last year, which led the city to create a 'clothing required' section of the park
'With today’s ruling, parkgoers can again enjoy the toplessness that has defined this beach for decades, free from intimidation by private security.'
Denny Blaine Park for All, a community group that filed the 2025 lawsuit which led to the city's abatement plan, was not involved in the private security efforts and released a statement of its own saying it did not oppose Chung's Friday ruling.
'This case isn’t about a sign or topless sunbathing,' the statement said.
'It’s about whether the City will finally address the ongoing safety risks and illegal activity that have defined this park for years.'