Sex trafficking is a growing injustice around the world. Sexual exploitation is acted out among those who have social, gender, and racial prejudice against others. That is why we must encourage and promote equality and protection against all forms of discrimination. 

I live in a beautiful little town in the Great Northwest with amazing people and a rich history of homesteading. But there is a painting in the Lynden Post Office of two topless female Native Americans. The art reveals female native Americans unclothed, portraying Native Americans in a derogatory way, as the American settlers are portrayed as educated, proper, and concealed in modesty. Allowing the images of topless Native Americans to reveal their breasts and nipples does not represent our declaration of equality and racial diversity with honor and respect. 

In a study conducted at four sites in the U.S. and Canada, “an average of 40 percent of women involved in sex trafficking identified as an AI/AN or First Nations,” yet Native women represent 10 percent or less of the general population in the studied communities. (1.) This means that a significant number of Native American women suffer exploitation for sex trafficking due to various reasons, such as sexual and racial inequality. 

I have recently learned that Native Americans in our area were always clothed, and the painting is historically inaccurate. We live in a world where our past doesn’t dictate our future. Although history reveals how we got to where we are, it doesn’t mean we must continue making the same mistakes or behavior. We can easily accept the reality of our history with scars of injustice or redeem them. But, what we choose to highlight in history through public and government art shapes and announces our views of what we are proud of today. 

Just because it has been painted on the walls for decades doesn’t mean that we have to stand by and allow racial, gender, and socioeconomic prejudices to reign supreme and dictate our future. Trafficking always exploits social, racial, and economic differences. Therefore, we must increase protection for those who are targeted for sexual exploitation. 

According to the Post Office New Deal Art: Murals and Sculptures rules and regulations indicate that photos of the murals need to be upheld through other various means, including, “Further, the murals may not be used in a manner that is likely to be viewed as derogatory, offensive, obscene, in violation of “hate crime” laws or otherwise likely to shock or offend the community or in such a way as to bring the Postal Service, its officers, or employees into public disrepute, scandal, or ridicule.” (1.1)

The Declaration of Civil Rights highlights freedom from discrimination in RCW 49.60.030 as the right to be free from discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship, or immigration status.

Not only that, but public nudity goes against our Obscenity Laws (2) and Public Indecency Laws (3). This image violates Washington State laws such as RCW 7.48A.020, RCW 7.48A.010, and RCW 9.68.130 stating that moral nuisance is “that which incites lasciviousness or lust” and that it is unlawful to display sexually explicit material. Although it is a historical art, it does not forbid us to act on replacing or covering up the offensive art to focus on different parts of history that we are more proud of and long to portray to future generations. Revealing frontal nudity is offensive and obscene based solely on the fact that it is unnecessary for the public. Children and families are entering the Lynden Post Office, and we must protect the future generation. Especially since human trafficking and sex trafficking within the local tribes in our area have an increased number of victims. Together, we can help protect each other. 

Let us look at other instances where change, like we are proposing, has occurred:

In Maine, the Kennebunkport Post Office mural was removed in 1941 because of indecency, as it was deemed ‘inappropriate’ for the town. (4)

The Washington House of Representatives voted to cover up controversial murals in the House Chamber on March 7, 1982. (5)

In 2013,  The San Bernardino County Government Building Board of Supervisors asked artists Armando Aleman and Efren Montiel Jiminez to remove paintings that contain nudity after receiving complaints from people who visit the building. (6)

In 2018, in Memphis, Tennessee, the city council voted 10 to zero to remove six murals created through an initiative, Paint Memphis, that were painted over 20 years ago. Council members deemed the murals offensive art and had them painted over. (7)

Attorney General John Ashcroft covered the Statue of Justice because of their nudity. The Department of Justice purchased drapes to cover the two semi-nude art deco statues in the Great Hall of the Department since the 1930s to defend human dignity. (8)

In southeast Atlanta, they had a wall adorned with an artwork mural of nude women but have decided to paint over it to defend female dignity after locals complained about its content. (9)

And lastly, and my favorite example, was in our home state in Seattle, Washington. There was a mural of partial nudity painted inside a strip club, which was deemed indecent because nipples were evident on the mural. Washington state ordinance forbid “pictorial or graphic representation which includes lewd matter.” (10)  Even though it was inside a strip club, they had to cover the nipples of the naked women to submit to regulations. (11)

But in Lynden, Washington, we do not have nudity at a strip club, but painted on the Post Office walls of a public government building that encourages the teaching and indoctrination of female objectification, tolerance of sexualization/nudity, and derogatory messages that Native Americans can be objectified/sexualized for all the residents of Lynden to see.

We are proposing that tops be painted on the two topless women in the Post Office of Lynden or that the mural be changed entirely to take a stand against the promotion of sexually offensive images and not to tolerate offensive images that promote racial and gender prejudice and not to offend those in our city. Let us be a city where we take a stand to protect future Native Americans, women, and their bodies and cover their dignity instead of exploiting them. 

Let us take this opportunity to do what is best for our community!

It is up to us to stand up for what is right and make a statement about our dedication to help stop trafficking and the exploitation of others. Join us to make our city a safer place for all of us. 

 

 

Info:

Image “Used with the permission of the United States Postal Service®. All rights reserved.”

https://humantraffickingsearch.org/traffickingofnativeamericans/#:~:text=In%20a%20study%20conducted%20at,population%20in%20the%20studied%20communities.​

https://about.usps.com/doing-business/rights-permissions/new-deal-art.htm​

https://about.usps.com/doing-business/rights-permissions/new-deal-art.htm

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/obscenity

https://www.justia.com/criminal/offenses/sex-crimes/public-indecency/
http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/missing-kennebunkport-mural-wpa/

https://historylink.org/File/10338

https://ncac.org/incident/hispanic-heritage-month-celebration-turns-to-censorship-of-latino-artists-at-san-bernardino-government-center
https://wreg.com/2018/02/21/sanford-is-the-removal-of-murals-sensible-or-censorship/

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/01/29/statues.htm
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/nude-mural-atlanta-covered-community-outrage-article-1.1147380

https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/10/vo/7180-disseminating-obscene-matter.pdf

https://www.thestranger.com/visual-art/2016/10/04/24598965/seattle-narrowly-escapes-the-trauma-of-seeing-womens-nipples-in-publicly-displayed-art