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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane Valley bikini baristas ordinance passes

SPOKANE VALLEY — The Spokane Valley City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Tuesday that identifies what body parts cannot be exposed in public. The ordinance was created after dozens of complaints were received about a bikini coffee stand just two doors down from City Hall that advertised topless Tuesdays and Thursdays. On those days the baristas wore no more than a G-string and pasties. Councilman Arne Woodard said that the turning point for him was learning that the Central Valley School District had rerouted school buses to avoid the coffee stand. “I think what we’re doing tonight is the right action,” he said. The ordinance prohibits a person from knowingly exposing certain body parts in public without a full or opaque covering. Body paint does not count as covering. It also states that at least half of a woman’s breast must be covered. There are exceptions in the ordinance that allow breastfeeding as well as nudity in medical offices and fitness center locker rooms.