SALEM, Ore. — In a state where men have legally strolled the streets in nothing but tennis shoes and Portland hosts an annual naked bike ride, nudists appeared at the Oregon Legislature on Monday — clothed — to ask lawmakers not to let their lifestyle get wrapped up in an effort to regulate strip clubs.

The battle over bare skin renews familiar debates about balancing freedom with neighborhood standards in a state known for its liberal protections of free speech — and nude expression.

Nudist advocates testified against a bill that would ask voters to change free-speech protections in the state constitution to let communities keep strip clubs out of neighborhoods. But, nudists warn, that might unintentionally allow cities to outlaw nude recreation.

“We want to protect our rights,” said John Kinman, past president of the American Association for Nude Recreation, which has joined the American Civil Liberties Union in opposing the bill.

The measure at the heart of Monday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee would allow cities to use zoning laws to regulate “the location at which a business or organization may offer live entertainment or other services performed by a person in a state of nudity.”

Nudists fret that a stodgy city or county government would use that phrase to pounce on nudist clubs. Nude karaoke might be considered live entertainment. Mowing the lawn in the buff might be considered a service.

Advocates of changing the law include neighborhood groups and the League of Oregon Cities. The sponsors said it is not intended to affect nudists or to outlaw strip clubs altogether. They just want to give cities the power to say where strip clubs can open, the sponsors said.

It wasn’t clear Monday when or if the committee might vote on the bill.