A bench trial over the future of Denny Blaine Park, Seattle’s clothing-optional beach on Lake Washington, got underway on Wednesday.
SEATTLE — A bench trial over the future of Denny Blaine Park, Seattle’s clothing-optional beach on Lake Washington, got underway on Wednesday in a King County Superior courtroom.
A judge will decide the next steps for the park after hearing competing claims about nudity, public safety, and the rights of community members who say the space is irreplaceable.
“The plaintiffs are asking this court to close Denny Blaine Park. Denny Blaine Park should not be closed,” said Attorney Joseph Groshong, representing the City of Seattle.
The lawsuit was filed by a neighborhood group called Denny Blaine Park for All, whose attorneys argued that the park’s reputation as a nude beach is not historical fact, and that the real problem is persistent, documented illegal behavior happening in plain sight.
“The alleged history of the park as a nude beach is a fiction,” the plaintiff’s attorney said during opening arguments.
“There were multiple sex acts seen taking place on the beach,” the attorney continued. “The city has failed and refuses to enforce the law.”
Attorneys for the Friends of Denny Blaine, the group defending the park’s clothing-optional status, pushed back, arguing the space serves a community of people who have few alternatives.
“This community includes transgender and nonbinary and asexual individuals for whom Denny Blaine Park is one of the safest places that they have,” said Attorney Cassandra Carley, representing Friends of Denny Blaine.
“These are neighbors, co-workers, friends, family, citizens of Seattle who deserve respect,” she said.
Carley argued nudity is a protected right and that lewd behavior should be separately enforced and prosecuted.
The City of Seattle outlined an abatement plan that includes a fenced-off clothing-optional section and increased staffing. Groshong described “an increased physical presence from park rangers and maintenance staff and a progressive approach to enforcement.”
Because this is a bench trial, there is no jury. A judge alone will determine Denny Blaine Park’s future. Court proceedings are scheduled to resume Thursday.
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