GoTopless Day celebrates gender equality for 11th year in a row
The 11th annual GoTopless Day takes place in cities across the US, Canada and worldwide today in commemoration of Women Equality Day—the passing of the 19th amendment.
“As long as men are allowed to be topless in public, women should have the same constitutional right,” said Maitreya Rael, international spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement, who inspired the creation of the GoTopless women’s organization back in 2007.
“This would seem to be a pretty straightforward argument,” said Nadine Gary, president of GoTopless and Raelian Guide, “but in high courts, topless activists are being confronted with the judges’ claims that ‘morality’ and ‘people’s sensibilities’ supersede constitutional gender equality.”
“Our request for a hearing of the GoTopless court case Sonoko vs The City of Chicago was turned down by the U S Supreme Court a few months ago,” Gary explained. “So the fate of Topless Equality is currently left to each State though for 33 of them it is legal to be topless.”
“Morality, then, is the only ‘legal’ argument blocking topless equality,” emphasized Gary, “and it is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian values of shame and guilt.”
“But what could be immoral about a human body part allegedly made in the image of ‘the creator(s)’ as the Bible reminds Christians and Jews?” Gary pondered. “‘People’s morals’ and ‘sensibilities’ are highly subjective and not necessarily constitutional as most judges admit. Women’s right to vote was once considered indecent and yet, when challenged by enough of them, the Constitution rightfully prevailed.”
“Now, if courts decide that women’s topless rights are just too challenging for ‘people’s morals’ and ‘sensibilities’ in Western Democracies in the 21st century, then there is only two viable options to preserve constitutional gender equality: ‘men should be forced to wear something to hide their chests,’ as Rael declared a decade ago and/or ‘thousands of women should take it to the streets topless,’ added Gary. Their peaceful nipples shall overcome the local forces that won’t have enough time to fine or lock them all.”
On August 26th, the goal of GoTopless Day in both NYC and Venice beach is to inspire and empower women. In NYC, they are invited to exercise their topless right, since it is legal in that state. In Venice Beach, CA, they are encouraged to come and stand up for gender topless equality which is currently denied in LA County. The parade in New York City is slated to start at 12:30pm on W58, between 8th and 9th, whereas the parade in Venice Beach, CA, is slated to start at 1pm on Navy Street at Ocean Front Walk.
Refer to the GoTopless ‘boob map’ to locate a GoTopless event around the world on August 26: gotopless.org/gotopless-day