"If I am pushed into clothing for the sake of a trial, this aids the prosecution in its designation of my 'appearing naked' as a deed in itself, an act with intent, when its not an act, its simply what I am, what we all are. The judge has ordered that I appear 'appropriately dressed' in court or face jail time. I was appropriately dressed for the occasion the first time!"

“To be offended by the visual appearance of another person is prejudice, akin to racism. The right to exist, uncovered, should hold precedence over the right not to view [nudity], for the objection is irrational.”

"Clothing encourages us to fill it, to consume more. Which is what I have done, resulting in my disturbing fat body. If the effects of our behavior and habits upon our bodies were generally visible, people would take care of themselves and not look like me."

“To be offended by the visual appearance of another person is prejudice, akin to racism. The right to exist, uncovered, should hold precedence over the right not to view [nudity], for the objection is irrational.”

Terri Sue Webb an activist living in Bend, Oregon, is one of a few activists in the United States active in The Freedom to be Yourself campaign. She has been imprisoned and released multiple times for public nudity. On several occasions she has remained fully nude while incarcerated, often resulting in a much longer jail sentence.

Technically, she is not a streaker because she gets a thrill from the educational and political message she is sending, not just from the sudden, brief burst of freedom.

Webb takes her beliefs to the streets to challenge society’s urge to control and persecute people who believe in body freedom. She believes we all should be able to be naked whenever we feel like it; she is naked whenever she feels she can be, and she actively encourages others to join her. Her style is to provoke people by engaging them directly. She likes to pass out her own hand-drawn freeform literature on the street and in random places like bookstores and cafés.

She has received a lot of media coverage of her activities. As a 27-year-old college graduate she described herself as an anarchist and an activist in the "Stop Segregation" nudist movement.

Her first experiences with public nudity included streaking during her college years, going to clothing-optional places in and near Portland, and being naked with friends.

She said, "I began shedding my clothes in public a few years ago. This was not due to any mental illness but simply because I recognized their lack of functionality under the circumstances and recognized my own freedom to remove the clothing."

Many of Webb’s earliest actions were to promote environmental awareness. In 1998 she became involved in Critical Mass, an international pro-bicycle movement that takes riders to the streets en masse once a month. She began participating in these events topfree, and continues to advocate bicycling as a primary mode of transportation.

In the summer of 1999, Webb attempted another form of direct action in Eugene. Her goal was to address the environmental problem of reliance on automobiles and to calm the traffic flow in the vicinity. She moved some construction barricades out into the street and ran around the area in a bright orange safety vest, meeting cars head on and delivering messages to the drivers. She also participated in Seattle’s huge anti-World Trade Organization protest in November 1999.

In the summer of 2000, Webb went without clothes in a Portland park water fountain. A crowd gathered, and when the police came they covered her and dragged her from the park. Authorities threatened to place her on “mental hold,” but she was released after an hour or so at the station, charged with violation of park rules.

She partnered with Daniel Johnson twice, in Portland 2001, and Bend 2002.

Webb’s other activities have included involvement in Buy Nothing Day street theater events and participation in anti-Gulf War protests in Portland. She participated in protests against police brutality, a rally for the freedom of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Carnival Against Capital in Eugene.

She lived in an apartment, but was unemployed and no longer able to pay rent. She planned either to borrow money or to stay with friends. In the meantime, she applied for General Assistance and Supplemental Social Security Income. A former roommate said that he often saw Terri go out of doors to ride her bike naked in the cold, but that she always came back "fairly quickly" and never returned shivering or in any way impaired by the temperature.

"Some may shudder to see me less than fully dressed in less than ideal conditions, for instance, in rain and cooler temperatures but I would challenge anybody with such objections to try it themselves. In my experience, cooler temperatures can be quite comfortable or even [exhilarating] and not even an issue when one is engaged in exercise. It's not as if I've always been alone in cooler conditions..."

Webb believes that if we looked at the ways other animals live we could have a higher quality of life. She believes we can learn many valuable things by looking at our own natural form and those of other species, and that we can communicate more fundamentally with animals if they see our natural form. She suggests we go out and study nature instead of watching television.

.She said, "Yes, I have had encounters with law enforcement [and] such but this has always been due to my [conscious] choice.

Authorities have responded to her activist efforts by forcing Webb to undergo psychiatric evaluation on at least two occasions. According to Webb, her psychiatrists and case workers have told her that while she does have a minor bipolar condition, it is unrelated to her behavior involving nudity.

When found in Eugene riding her bicycle naked in near-freezing weather. She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of a "bipolar, manic episode." Upon admission to the hospital, she had a slightly lower than normal temperature, but otherwise was adequately nourished and not dehydrated. She insisted on remaining unclothed and attempted to assault a nurse who tried to clothe her. Asked about riding around in the cold, she replied that the cold did not bother her and that it actually gave her "spiritual feelings of freedom."

Much of Terri’s notoriety has come from a nude court appearance, which stems from an arrest for bicycling without clothing in the city of Bend last July 18.

“I disrobed before entering the courtroom with the intention of receiving a fair trial,” she said. “My right to a fair trial has been denied, as the holding of nakedness as unacceptable in the court prior to the admission of evidence constitutes prejudgment concerning the issue at hand.”

Webb was charged with contempt of court for her naked appearance, a charge that she will appeal. Judge Barbara Haslinger placed her on supervised probation for a year, ordered a psychiatric evaluation, and made it a condition of probation that she appear at future court proceedings “appropriately dressed.”

“If I am pushed into clothing for the sake of a trial, this aids the prosecution in its designation of my ‘appearing naked’ as a deed in itself, an act with intent, when it’s not an act; it’s simply what I am, what we all are,” Webb says. “The judge has ordered that I appear appropriately dressed in court or face jail time. I was appropriately dressed for the occasion the first time!” As of this writing, Webb is weighing whether or not she will appear naked in court a second time.

The Court Of Appeals of the State of Oregon found no evidence of mental disorder. On appeal, appellant argued that there simply was not clear and convincing evidence that Terri could not meet her basic needs or that she was a danger to herself. The state agreed.. They noted that Terri had been engaging in the same behavior repeatedly and apparently had never been assaulted and did appear to be able to take care of herself. Such apprehensions were deemed insufficient to establish the need for commitment.

"Certainly I am always conscious of potential dangers be they of the temperature or from admirers. But at this point I have so much experience behind me, I am completely confident in my ability to care for myself and know there is no necessary intervention from the State in this case."..............................................................................................................