Yes, I mean it. Drop trou and give someone eyeful. Moon your friends and neighbours. If you can keep your seatbelt on, you can probably even moon folks from your car, teenager style. Yes, you can do all that and not be indecently exposed according to Judge John W. Debelius III, of the Montgomery County Circuit Court.

He ruled yesterday that mooning, while distasteful, is not illegal in Maryland, with this classic quote in the Washpost article:

“If exposure of half of the buttock constituted indecent exposure, any woman wearing a thong at the beach at Ocean City would be guilty.”

Woops, so I guess you only get to flash one cheek at a time, or maybe just the top half. Either way, you’ll not be guilty of indecent exposure, but the judge will think you guilty of lesser crimes. To quote the WashPost again:

Debelius made clear his disdain for the defendant, calling the alleged act “disgusting” and “demeaning.” The outcome could have been different, he suggested, if the man had been on trial for “being a jerk.”

Luckily for the moonies of Maryland, “being a jerk” is not a criminal offense.

Update: How did I miss this? Seems mooning in DC is legal too, as the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that indecent exposure is limited to a person’s genitals way back in 1986. And the final quote of the article may just be the best:

James Maxwell, one of McNealy’s attorneys, said yesterday’s ruling should “bring comfort to all beachgoers and plumbers” in the state.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs