Topfreedom
Topfreedom is a
social movement which seeks to accord women the right to go
topless in public should they so choose, where men have the equivalent right. Examples of
public spaces which might be covered include
beaches,
swimming pools and
parks. The reasons cited include keeping nursing mothers from having to find a hidden place for
breastfeeding, allowing women to
sun tan, comfort in places such as pools and beaches, and
sex equality issues.
In
North America, where resistance to topless nudity of women is greater than in mainland Europe or Australia, a small
topfree equality movement has grown up. In February
2005 in
California, attorney Liana Johnsson contended that under
Megan's Law, women convicted of
indecent exposure (for
breastfeeding or
sunbathing) could find themselves listed as
sex offenders alongside
rapists and
child molesters. The term "topfree" is used as an alternative to "topless", which may carry negative connotations. Some women prefer the term "shirtfree rights".
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 it is inarguable that most heterosexual men find breasts sexually arousing and 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. For more information, see
breast.
Some courts in North America have ruled that mammary glands are nurturing organs, not sexual organs; this is important because it is generally the public display of sexual organs which is legally restricted.
Some places in North America are said to have topfree equality by law, although whether such equality is upheld or practiced varies. These include:
*Some provinces of
Canada including
**
British Columbia**
Ontario[Province of Ontario Court of Appeal. Judgment C12668, The Queen vs. Gwen Jacobs (1996)] (where equality has been tested and upheld several times)
**All of
Canada, in theory, because sex equality is an amendment to the Canadian Constitution. The Supreme Court could, however, overturn the precedents set in BC and Ontario.
*Some states of the
United States, including
**
Hawaii**
Maine (ex.[
1] and [
2])
**
New York (and more generally, within the jurisdiction of the 2nd US Federal Circuit)
**
Ohio**
Texas*Some cities and localities of the
United States, including
**
Eugene, Oregon***
Oregon Country Fair**
South Beach,
Miami Beach, Florida***
Fantasy Fest**
Washington, D.C.Note that even in some of the areas where topfree is in fact legal, local
police may still arrest those practicing it for
disorderly conduct or similar charges.
In many countries, especially in
Europe and Australia, it is well-established that females may go topfree at places like beaches, parks and open air swimming pools. This may be by law (
permitted) or may be by common consent, with the law simply not being applied (
tolerated). In other areas, such as
South Korea and
Islamic countries, it is considered highly offensive for women, and even men, to go topfree in almost any context.
The
Topfree Equal Rights Association (TERA) is a
Canadian organisation that exists to help women who have legal troubles exercising their rights to go '
topfree' where men are also able to. Their website states that they cover the
USA and Canada.
The organisation also aims to inform and educate the public about
topfreedom. They also campaign to change laws about topfreedom that exist in most
North American
jurisdictions, which they see as
sex discrimination.
*
Toplessness*
Clothes free movement*
Nudity*
Public nudity*
Monokini*
Equalism*
Sexism*
TabooOrganizations
*
Naturist Action Committee (NAC)
*
Topfree Equal Rights Association (TERA)
*
Clothes free organizations*
World Naked Bike RidePeople
*
Judy Williams: NAC board member, chief advisor of TERA, chair of Wreck Beach Preservation Society (WBPS) in Vancouver, BC
*
Gwen Jacobs: test case for topfreedom who won in Ontario, Canada.
*
Linda Meyer: test case for topfreedom for British Columbia. On June 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, past shirtfree rights activist, now disaffiliated from the movement.
*
Woman Promotes the Right to Go Topless - Originally an LA Times, January 2005 article
*
Topfree Equal Rights Association*
What is topfreedom? article*
Maple Ridge v. Meyer 2000 BCSC 902
