Aug 10
22
Women Protest for Equal Rights
by Jason Stotts
Finally, a protest by women for equal rights that I can really get behind.
L.A. Women Want Right to Go Topless
Los Angeles area women seeking the right to go topless will protest this Sunday in the name of torso equality.
According to LAist, men may go shirtless in public, but it remains illegal for women. In contrast, it is legal for women in the state of New York to be topless because of a 1992 court decision. But an LAPD spokesperson said that women going topless in the jurisdiction would constitute “indecent exposure.”
“Organizers of a protest at Venice Beach this weekend don’t see it that way,” reported LAist. “’The 14th amendment guarantees equal protection under law and properly interpreted it guarantees women the right to be top-free where men are allowed to be topfree,’ they say. Unfortunately, some jurisdictions do not recognize that right, and there is a less stringent test in the courts (called intermediate scrutiny) for gender based differential treatment than for e.g., racial classifications (which are analyzed under what’s called strict scrutiny).” (via Advocate.com)
The Huffington Post has details about the protest:
What: It’s annual “Go Topless” day nationwide, when women are encouraged to go topless and men to don bikini tops to protest America’s unequal topless laws.
When: Sunday August 22, 2pm. The march starts at 2:30pm, and entertainment follows at 3:30pm.
Where: Ocean Front Walk at Navy St., Los Angeles, CA 90291
How: According to gotopless.org, topless women will be provided with “latex nipple covers…that look EXACTLY like nipples!”
I personally fully support the right of women to go topless or even nude in public without fear of being arrested for “shameful” behavior, since our bodies are disgusting and shameful according to religious standards. Let us realize that this is as much an issue of having the right not to have the irrationality of religion interfering in our lives as it is about the right to the right to engage in a particular action.
