Tim Bowman sunbathed in a thong swimsuit at City Beach for three years without attracting attention. In summer 1993, however, his sun-kissed bliss ended when he was noticed by a church group that was waiting for a cruise at Independence Point.
Letters protesting Bowman’s bare bottom were sent to City Clerk Susan Weathers, and then outraged residents bombarded the Coeur d’Alene Press editorial page, pro and con. Thus began a cultural slog through the city bureaucracy that ended at the City Council.
Reporter John Firehammer of The Press dubbed the hubbub “The Thong Hot Summer.”
The uproar created one of Coeur d’Alene’s best-known minor celebrities: “Thong Man.” And it eventually led enterprising artist Marcus Bausch of Sprague, Wash., to create T-shirts with thong-wearing characters and titles like “Hanging Out in CDA” and “Buns Not Guns.”
In his own Press letter, Bowman claimed most people either supported or accepted his decision to don the thong. The tourists, he said, “enjoy the non-stuffy atmosphere here.”
But two women wrote to The Press that Thong Man’s schtick was better suited at the French Riviera or in California. Conservative activist Ron Rankin suggested that the anti-thong throng collect 2,962 signatures to force a public vote. But a petition drive didn’t happen.
Initially, at a June 1993 meeting, the City Council debated a thong ban at City Beach, which included a $100 fine for violators. And five of the six council members appeared ready to pass the measure, according to The Press. But the matter was tabled for a while.
Bowman appeared at the meeting wearing a shirt, Levis, boots, and a belt instead of skimpy swimwear. His pockets were stuffed with photos of women in swimsuits at City Beach and a sample bikini bottom. If the City Council outlawed thongs, Bowman cautioned that he would wear the next, larger-sized swimsuit.
But it didn’t come to that. In the end, the council rejected the ban on a 4-2 vote.
On July 6, in a surprise move, Mayor Pro Tempore Dixie Reid, subbing for ailing Mayor Ray Stone, switched her stand. At the earlier meeting, she had seconded a motion to ban thongs. But Reid decided that legislating swimwear isn’t the city’s responsibility.
“As a city councilwoman, sometimes my personal views are in conflict with what I believe is right for the city,” she told The Press during a break.
In voting against prohibition, Councilman Mike McDowell noted that only three cities in the country had a similar ordinance — and that only one enforced it: Long Beach, Calif. “Sunbathers aren’t injuring other citizens,” he said.
Councilman Steve McCrea said that his personal poll of random people on the street was met with ridicule. He said, “People can’t believe the city would spend time thinking about this when violent crime has doubled in the last year.”
Councilmen Ron Edinger and Al Hassell favored a thong ban.
Bowman was surprised by Mayor Pro Tempore Reid’s about-face. So was Edinger.
After announcing her vote, Reid pounded her gavel for order when Edinger shouted at Bowman: “Now you can wear your thong to City Beach.”
And Thong Man did, pausing at times to take photos with well-wishers seeking them.
Back in the 90’s Clearwater Beach, FL was the haven for thongs swimwear for both sexes. I don’t how/why it started but I knew I liked it. I didn’t know it was a thing till one visit and the amount of thongs on men/women I lost count. I knew I liked it and asked other people if they noticed the same trend and they did. This one couple in matching yellow thongs were playing paddle-board. The ball got hit towards me, I picked it up and gave it back to the dude, he thanked me walked back to his spot and continued to play with his lady. They looked so good in their thongs.
Well that trend went from local to a national debate if it was appropriate, is govt pushing too much to suggest a ban? They had advocates and protesters as guests on Donehue. The sentiment was mostly wear it, it’s not naked or I don’t like but but do you, and that should be banned. There was debate the morality and legality. The advocates even donned their thongs so people can get a look and then they put in robes to talk about how they were for keeping thongs.
In the end, Clearwater Beach passed the ban. All the sudden the thong beach was gone. Now decades later, thongs are back at the beach thought technically the law is still in place and not enforced. However, for us guys, I haven’t seen a thong at the beach since the ban in the 90s. Luckily their are other beaches that are accepting of thongs. It’s just a shame that Clearwater Beach was the South Beach of the gulf.
I experienced the same trend where I live in Canada. In the 90s I saw many men wearing thong swimsuits at the beach and thong underwear in gym locker rooms. We had no ban here but the thongs vanished. Why?