- Topfreedom
Topfreedom is a
social movement seeking the recognition of a right of women and girls to be topfree in public where men and boys have that right. The topfreedom movement objects to the risqué connotations of the term "topless " and usually prefers the term "topfree." Examples ofpublic space s at which topfreedom might be exercised includebeach es,swimming pool s andpark s, although the principles of the movement admit of no restriction in location. The reasons include keeping nursing mothers from having to hide forbreastfeeding ,sun tanning , comfort, andgender equality .Toplessness in public by women is illegal in many states of theUnited States [ [http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/toplessness004.html Topfreedom: The Fundamental Right of Women ] ] . Some states do not have laws against toplessness, but permit local bodies (such as cities) to make laws for their areas. In the United States, where resistance to toplessness of women is greater than in mainlandEurope orAustralia , a small topfree equality movement has grown. The term "topfree" is used as an alternative to "topless", which may carry negative connotations. Some women prefer the term "shirtfree rights".In February
2005 inCalifornia , attorney Liana Johnsson contended that underMegan's Law , women convicted ofindecent exposure (forbreastfeeding or sunbathing) could find themselves listed assex offender s alongside rapists and child molesters. In 1991 inCanada , Gwen Jacob was arrested for walking down a street inGuelph, Ontario while topless. She was acquitted in 1996 by the highest court inOntario . A similar case had arisen for the Rochester Topfree Seven, charged in 1986 inRochester, New York but acquitted in 1992.Cultural arguments
Western culture generally tends to oppose public female toplessness because of the idea that females' breasts are sexual organs, and thus indecent. In contrast, the male chest is not commonly considered to be sexual.
Biologically there is no particular connection between mammary glands and copulation, but some cultures have regarded the exhibition of breasts as sexually arousing (others have also so regarded the exhibition of the chests of men). Some zoologists (notably
Desmond Morris ) believe that through human evolution, female breasts have acquired secondary sexual characteristics as a counterpart of the buttocks in other primates.cite book|author=Morris, Desmond | title=The Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal|publisher=Dell|date=1999|isbn=0-385-33430-3| ] For more information, seebreast .Some courts in North America have ruled that mammary glands are nurturing organs, not sexual organs, a relevant distinction in light of laws in certain jurisdictions that specifically restrict the public display of sexual organs.
Topfree in North America
Some places in North America have topfree equality by law, although whether such equality is practiced varies. These include:
*Some provinces ofCanada including
**British Columbia
**Manitoba
**Ontario Province of Ontario Court of Appeal. Judgment C12668, The Queen vs. Gwen Jacob (1996)] (where equality has been tested and upheld several times)*Some states of the
United States , including
**California coast, such as Santa Cruz
**Hawaii Fact|date=March 2008
**Maine (ex. [ [http://www.stater.kent.edu/stories_old/98fall/110698/n2a.html http://www.stater.kent.edu/stories_old/98fall/110698/n2a.html] "Stater.kent.edu" ] [ [http://www.seacoastonline.com/2002news/1_31odd.htm http://www.seacoastonline.com/2002news/1_31odd.htm] "Seacoastonline.com" ] )
**New York Fact|date=June 2008 The People v. Ramona Santorelli and Mary Lou Schloss, No. 115 COURT OF APPEALS OF NEW YORK July 7, 1992
**Ohio Fact|date=June 2008 State v. Jetter (1991), 74 Ohio App. 3d. 535, 599 N.E. 2d 733
**Texas Fact|date=June 2008*Some cities and localities of the
United States , including
**Boulder, Colorado
**Eugene, Oregon
***Oregon Country Fair
**South Beach ,Miami Beach, Florida
**Key West, Florida
***Fantasy Fest
**New Orleans ,Louisiana
***Mardis Gras
**Washington, D.C.
**Columbus, OH Even where topfree is legal, police might still arrest those practicing it fordisorderly conduct or similar charges.Topfree in other places
In some European countries and
Australia , it is well-established that females may go topfree at places such as beaches, parks, and outdoor swimming pools. That might be by law ("permitted") or might be by common consent, with the law simply not being applied ("tolerated"). In other areas with more conservative social norms, women are prohibited from being topfree in any public place.Fact|date=March 2008A protest movement called "Bara Bröst" appeared in Sweden in September 2007 to promote women's right to be topless in places where men could also be topless. Several events were staged in public swimbaths in September and October. [ [http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=76183&in_page_id=2 Metro.co.uk, November 19, 2007] "Swedes fight for topless rights" ] While toplessness is not illegal, several private or public establishments in Sweden have a
dress code which demand that everyone wear tops: topless individuals can be denied access or thrown out.Topfree Equal Rights Association (TERA)
The Topfree Equal Rights Association (TERA) [ [http://www.tera.ca http://www.tera.ca] "Tera.ca" ] is a Canadian organization for helping women who have legal troubles exercising their rights to go 'topfree' where men are able to. Their Web site states that they serve both Canada and the United States.
The organization also aims to inform and educate the public about topfreedom. They campaign to change laws against topfreedom which exist in most North American
jurisdiction s, which laws they see as sex discrimination and inhibiting to breastfeeding.ee also
*
Barechested
*Gender equality
*Monokini
*National Cleavage Day
*Naturism
*Nudity
*Public nudity
*Sexism
*Taboo
*Toplessness Organizations
* [http://gotopless.org National GOTOPLESS day] Organization promoting action on Saturday August 23, 2008
*Naturist Action Committee (NAC)
*Topfree Equal Rights Association (TERA)
*Clothes free organizations
*World Naked Bike Ride Events
* [http://gotopless.org National GOTOPLESS DAY] Saturday, Aug 23rd 2008
People
*Judy E. Williams: NAC board member, chief advisor of TERA, chair of Wreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS) in Vancouver, BC
*Gwen Jacob: test case for topfreedom who won in Ontario, Canada.
*Linda Meyer: test case for topfreedom for British Columbia. OnJune 8 ,2000 , she won in court against Maple Ridge, BC. She had been arrested at the District of Maple Ridge's indoor public swimming pool. That was after she had provoked arrests for many years, and had gone to jail, in order to win in court and thereby stop official harassment for her topfree public activities.
*Paul Rapoport: topfree activist, writer, editor of "Going Natural", a publication of FCN.
*Sue Richards: Publisher of the topfree, breast health calendar Breast of Canada.
*Morley Schloss: NAC board member, topfree activist.
*Nikki Craft :feminist , pastshirtfree rights activist, now disaffiliated from the movement.References
External links
* [http://www.gotopless.org National GOTOPLESS DAY] Saturday Aug 23rd 2008
* [http://www.topfreeaction.com/ Topfree Action.]
* [http://www.savecalifornia.com/getpluggedin/latimes_12205.php "Woman Promotes the Right to Go Topless"] from "Los Angeles Times", January 2005.
* [http://www.tera.ca/ Topfree Equal Rights Association.]
* [http://www.007b.com/topfreedom.php What is topfreedom? article.]
* [http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb%2Dtxt/sc/00/09/s00%2D0902.htm Maple Ridge vs. Meyer 2000 BCSC 902.]
* [http://topfreedom.org/ Topfreedom.org is A place to share your Travel experiences about topfreedom.]
* [http://www.contra.org/lifestyles/naturist/topfree7.html New York State Court of Appeals Decision overturning the convictions of Rochester, NY's "Topfree 7".]
* [http://barabrost.blogg.se/ "Bara Bröst" (english: Only/Bare Breast), Swedish Network to promote womens right to be topless] "(In Swedish and English)".
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