http://www.gotopless.org/ en-gb Copyright 2011 GoTopless Inc. info@nospam.com (admin) info@nospam.com (admin) Thu, 23 May 2013 06:19:29 -0500 Thu, 23 May 2013 06:19:29 -0500 http://backend.userland.com/rss e107 (http://e107.org) hourly 1 60 http://gotopless.org/e107_images/gotopless.png http://www.gotopless.org/ 88 31 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.93.2 On April 4th, there will be GoTopless demonstrations around the world to support Amina in Tunisia.

Tunis, April 2nd, 2013 – GoTopless, an international organization that promotes gender equality and that advocates women's right to go topless wherever this right is granted to men, firmly denounces the comments made by Tunisian Salafist preacher, Alami Adel, leader of the so-called Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, who called for Tunisian citizen Amina to be "stoned" “quarantined,” and to “receive 100 lashes” because she posted a top-free photo of herself on Facebook.

“Mr. Adel’s comments are appalling from the standpoint of their violent overtone and also because they scoff at the notion of equal rights between men and women in Tunisia,” declared Joce Blottière – GoTopless spokesperson in the Middle East. “How can Mr. Adel condemn Amina’s action with such vitriol when thousands of photographs of shirtless Tunisian men are posted every day on Facebook without anyone raising an eyebrow or being offended?”

GoTopless advocates total gender equality and rejects any oppressive and one-sided machismo statements that allege to promote virtue and prevent vice. The activist organization, “GoTopless,” was launched by Rael – spiritual leader of the Raelian Religion (www.rael.org) – and its values are in perfect harmony with the Human Rights Charter, which explicitly includes equal rights between men and women.

“History tells us that it is the repression of nudity that causes mental imbalance and that leads to violence against women, not the other way around. In fact, in many African and South American tribes, where women have a propensity to walk around bare-chested, there are no irrational reactions from men or sanctions against women. And the same argument holds true when it comes to the majority of Mediterranean beaches,” expressed Blottière. “This sexual violence toward women is present in the most repressed countries, such as India for example, where collective rapes make the newspapers’ front page!”

GoTopless encourages all Tunisian women to make their right to go bare-chested known in the same way this right exists for all men, and to make their voices heard by not subjecting themselves to any law that would consider them unequal or inferior to men, whether on issues related to their bodies or others.

Blottiere concludes: “The love for freedom seems to be viewed by Muslim extremists as the most serious psychiatric disease there is, one that requires a radical and forceful treatment similar to a punitive fascist medicine. And GoTopless is firmly opposed to this.”

GoTopless will join “Femen’s Topless Jihad” action on Thursday, April 4th to support Amina and will invite its members to organize topless demonstrations in front of Tunisian embassies around the world.
]]> Press Releases nadine Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.93.2 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.92.2
Azizmoradi, head of GoTopless Iran and a female Iranian Raelian Imam, said today that she applauds Iranian female activists in Stockholm, Sweden, for holding a topless demonstration yesterday.

“It was held in protest of women being forced to wear the Hidjab in their home country [Iran] when men aren’t,” Azizmoradi explained, adding that the demonstrators were sported body slogans like “My nudity, my body, my right.” “I admire these women for having the courage to overcome repressive religious education and stand against oppression,” she said. “Too many women activists are imprisoned and tortured in Iran.”

Nadine Gary, president of GoTopless and a U.S. Raelian priestess, said she denounces the actions of politician Tim Moffitt, who recently introduced a bill in North Carolina that would make it a felony for a woman to show her nipples in public.

“This law wouldn’t apply to male nipples,” Gary said. “Iran is often singled out for human rights violations, but similar violations are about to be voted into law in a state that’s part of the leading democracy. Gender inequality is rampant in both societies!”

According to Azizmoradi, more and more Iranian women, including actress Golshifte Farahani and Maryam Namazie, are using nudity and sensuality to emphasize social injustices.

“We notice the same trend in North America and Europe with the Sexextremist group Femen and Slutwalks,”Gary commented.

Azizmoradi and Gary agree that women worldwide have a converging message for Women’s Day 2013.

“They’re emancipating themselves and standing up to use their bodies, sensuality and sexuality as they please,”Gary said. “They’re breaking away from patriarchal societies and religions that controlled their lives, especially their bodies, for centuries.”

“What do men like Moffit and Ahmadinejad do for the world while oppressing women?” Gary asked. “They just spread greed, corruption, suffering and pollution. It’s Earth’s women, empowered by femininity, who need to occupy the planet! As spiritual leader Rael, founder of Gotopless and a fervent defender of women’s rights, said, “Send the men to watch football while women straighten out this mess on Earth before it’s too late.”
]]> Press Releases nadine Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:35:00 -0600 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.92.2 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.91.1
“Though we’ve explained our viewpoint many times during GoTopless rallies over the last two years, politicians are still missing the entire point,” said GoTopless President Nadine Gary in a statement released today. “Our rallies are aimed at bringing attention to a serious matter of unconstitutional, unequal treatment: In much of the United States, women are still persecuted or arrested for going topless, while men aren’t.
If Moffitt’s bill becomes law, that law will clearly be unconstitutional, since men will enjoy a privilege denied to women.”

Gary added that although the U.S. Constitution and many state constitutions emphasize equality under the law, the issue of equal topless rights has been unjustly ignored.

“To uphold the U.S. Constitution, Representative Moffitt should honor its references to equality,” Gary said. “Instead, he’s attempting to widen the inequality gap when he should either be protecting women’s rights to go topless in his state or striving to see that men’s nipples remain equally private.”

Ironically, GoTopless rallies themselves are responsible for the proposed bill, according to Gary.

“Moffitt’s bill stems from the topless rallies our organization held in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2011 and 2012,” Gary explained. “But even if it passes, our rallies will continue, with the insistence that men also be jailed for nipple exposure. All we’re insisting upon is equality: either equal rights to go topless or equal punishment for violating a law that’s applied equally to both genders.”

Topless rights are one of the few areas of gender equality that haven’t been addressed at a federal level, and GoTopless is determined to see that it is.

“In a country that now accepts women as frontline soldiers and encourages gay men and women to openly serve in the military, GoTopless members are confident that Representative Moffitt is choosing a battle he can’t win,” she said. “When this case reaches the courts, they’ll have no choice but to see this as a constitutional issue based on gender equality, which is the exact point we’re making.”

]]> Misc nadine Wed, 06 Feb 2013 13:06:32 -0600 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.91.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.90.1
What is it that makes money earned through the pornographic industry not worthy of cancer research? Is it because sex is considered "dirty" and "shameful" in our American subconscious and the reaction of the Komen's foundation is a mere reflection of it?

GoTopless disagrees with many feminist organizations who insist on disassociating women's breasts from sexual thoughts. Who are we kidding? Of course, breasts can be sexual! In fact, the whole human body can be sexually arousing once a human being has reached puberty. It is simply a fact of life. Human beings don't need to be desexualized, they need to be educated to respect one another as sexual beings as laws dictate. Bare breasts are not an invitation for rape!

Contrary to Komen's negative reaction, GoTopless encourages all breast cancer foundations to proudly accept donations from the pornographic industry and even openly partner with them. First, because pornography is a lucrative business and research could make considerable advances and second because it sends a powerful, positive message to our society and especially to women. Currently, women continuously inhibit their sexuality in order to save their "good girl" reputation or, if they live out their sexuality, it is with guilt and they will often resort to drugs and alcohol to help dissipate it. Inhibition and guilt are two powerful negative emotions that can create severe illnesses in one's body and maybe even breast cancer.

Some may argue that the pornographic industry exploits women as sexual objects which is detremental to a woman's self-esteem. In truth, the porno industry capitalizes on all human sexual fantasies, sometimes objectifying consenting male, female, transgender actors and everything in between. One day, these consenting human actors will be replaced by biological robots but in the meantime they are fulfilling this need in society as hairdressers, doctors, cashiers, lawyers, garbage collectors, teachers, etc... do in their respective fields.

So, why not "Fuck for the cure!" if it helps eradicate breast cancer way before our baby girls grow boobies?
]]> Misc nadine Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:33:00 -0600 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.90.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.89.1
GoTopless was most delighted to see the reaction of nudist activist Gypsy Taub during the Hearing. She was called to testify and, in the mist of doing so, she bravely took off her dress and stood naked before the Committee while continuing to speaking in defense of nudity until a police officer escorted her out. Please see her heroic action of civil desobedience and listen to her bold statement at http://www.mynakedtruth.tv/

GoTopless applauds her behavior and speech! Breasts are nothing to be ashamed of, nor is the rest of our bodies. In her speech, Gypsy mentions "the sacred of the human body" made in the image of its maker which reflects the views of GoTopless. Human females and males were literally created (scientifically) in the image of their creators (see rael.org). Regardless of our individual spiritualities, shame and guilt of our bodies must completely disappear from our minds and lives if we are to build a society with sustainable human values. This senseless, religion-based guilt must go!!!

A protest against the Nudity Ban on Wednesday, November 14th at 12 noon, at the steps of the City Hall of San Francisco. The protest is clothing-optional.
Here is a summary of the facts running up to the above events:

First, under the new proposal, nudity would still be allowed at San Francisco's street fairs, festivals, parades and beaches (which are under federal control). The ordinance is instead targeting an increase in daily occurrences of nudists around the district.

Since California state law does not ban public nudity outright, but only "lewd" public behavior, these rules are left for cities and counties to decide. it is to be noted that San Francisco's parks and port property already ban nudity, but this proposed ordinance would also include public transit, sidewalks, plazas and smaller "parklets."
The proposed ordinance would fine people in the buff up to $100 for a first offense, up to $200 for a second offense within a year, and either a misdemeanor or up to $500 ticket for the third strike.
To pass, the plan has to be approved by a majority of the city's supervisors and signed by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.

But not everyone in the city is too happy about banning birthday suits in public.
George Davis, a former nude candidate for mayor in San Francisco, told the Chronicle that he believes the proposed ban is "an attack on freedom."
"I walk all over the place nude," Davis told the Chronicle. "The most common reaction is oblivious."
This is not the first time Wiener has targeted the city's public nudity. Last year, he successfully helped encourage a law that stipulates nudists must place a cloth buffer between their body and any public seat they sit on.
Public nudity bans are already in place in the Bay Area cities of San Jose and Berkeley, California.]]> Misc nadine Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:44:00 -0600 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.89.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.88.1
In this day and age, buzz words like 'family-friendly' equate more closely to 'let the religious and do-gooders choose rules for society.'

And sometimes the hypocrisy of it gets a little sickening.

For example, marble sculptor Art Wells, has been repeatedly told to 'family-friendize' his marble busts because they reveal bosoms.
Are they implying that bosoms are anti-family?

The Grapevine Convention and Visitor's Bureau seems to think so. During the selection of art pieces for a public show, Grapevine had the sole discretion on what they deemed acceptable or non acceptable. (see the exchange of letters between the Bureau and sculptor Art Wells below)

So instead of selecting the refined artwork of a skilled sculptor, guess what they choose for the public? To build a $100,000 clock tower with 9 foot animated gunfighters! YOOHOO!
Why? Because Grapeville, TX declared it was FAMILY FRIENDLY!

This link shows the video of a child witnessing the animated gun fight. Note the reaction of the litlle girl when she is asked which part of the gun fight reinactement she preferred.

http://www.nbcdfw.com/the-scene/events/Clock-Tower-With-a-Gunfight-Keeps-Time-in-Grapevine-152107985.html

So the moral of this story is be sure to bring your kids to Grapevine Visitor's Bureau to see the timely giant cowboy show promoting violence offered twice daily! And don't worry, your children will not be "endangered" by the sight of any women's bosom in their art museum. They got you (and them) covered.

For a complete and healthy appreciation of Art Wells sculptures, please visit his website: www.artsculpts.com

Exchange of emails between Shelley Smith, Texas Sculpture Association President and Art Wells, Sculptor.

Email #1
On Aug 26, 2012, Shelley Smith, Texas Sculpture Association President, wrote:

Hi Art,

Grapevine asked that it be " family friendly". Your nudes are very realistic! The one you had in the last show was gorgeous, and not as " nude" as some of your others. Do you have any that aren't ?
Shelley


Email #2
Aug 28, 2012, Shelley Smith, Texas Sculpture Association President, wrote:

Art,


Why don't you send a photo of what you were thinking of entering and we can run it past the folks at Grapevine before you send in your show fee? That way, we can tell you if it's a problem or not. I loved your piece at the ALoft, and would hate to miss out on having you in our show.
Shelley


Email #3
Sept 3, 2012, Art Wells, Grapevine, TX Sculptor, wrote

Hi Shelley,
I was wondering, what was not family friendly with my portraits? I've included a pic of another marble portrait, too late for this show, but for future reference, would this one be family friendly?
Thanks,
Art Wells, sculptor


]]> Misc nadine Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:44:14 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.88.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.87.1
"I awoke this morning at 2AM with a beautiful speech in my mind that I had wished I could have expressed yesterday. The beautiful leader looked at me yesterday and said that I looked like I had something to say and handed me the microphone and I could not get it out. Here it is....And I am sure I will have more to express later and very much want to be a part of the march next year!!

When I was 18, I was extremely conscience of my chest. I had and still have small boobs. Yesterday showed me that ALL boobs are beautiful and to feel that my boobs were amazing was empowering! BUT WAIT! All those years covering my small breasts with padded bras because I felt it would help me get a better job or a better man....and so forth...........Why? Because we cover them up.
It pains me so much that for so many years I felt I was not good enough and I let many opportunities go BECAUSE I had small breasts. In my mind that was what I needed to move ahead in life. How horrible........

My boyfriend told me yesterday that it was at first thrilling to see boobies and then it got less thrilling and his eyes moved away from the breasts and he felt calm and happy to just be around beautiful people and of course beautiful and happy liberated women!!

After yesterday I was completely empowered to finish my book and be successful without the padded bra!!!! Please contact me and let me be a part of the team. I want to learn more about the GoTopless movement.
]]> Misc nadine Mon, 03 Sep 2012 10:08:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.87.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.86.1
GoTopless women stand for topless gender equality, and they too are sometimes called "sluts." They face strong moral opposition from those who believe the very sight of women's breasts will trigger sexual excitement in others.

So what? Every part of the human body can be arousing! Should burqas be imposed on everyone, then?

GoTopless emphatically remind people that the sight of a woman's nude chest in public is not an invitation for rape. The legal system must protect women from the unbalanced individuals who could violate their topless freedom. These troubled people are often severely repressed.Nevertheless, our legal system is there to prosecute such offenders, not to deny women their freedom for the sake of their safety!

Consider this short story from Golda Meir, late prime minister of Israel:

"Once in cabinet we had to deal with the fact that there had been an outbreak of assaults on women at night. One minister ...suggested a curfew; women should stay home after dark. Golda Meir replied, "But it's the men who are attacking the women. If there's to be a curfew, let the men stay at home, not the women..."
]]> Misc nadine Mon, 03 Sep 2012 06:08:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.86.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.85.1 The permit was released on the condition that female GoTopless participants would fully cover their breasts.

Below is Ms. Haziza's reply.


Mr Ben-Gvir,

I would like to comment on the letter you wrote to the Attorney General of Israel and the Police Commissioner of Tel Aviv that I have not personally read but that was quoted in the media. As an Israeli female I don't think you have any notion of what will hurt the female public and what is humiliation and contempt of a woman's body. How can you? You are a male. From the get go your point of view has no merit.

The freedom of Israeli female citizens to go topless legally and equally to men, can never be a behavior that "hurts the female public". What "hurst the female public" is to be discriminated against on the basis of gender!

The only behavior to condemn is the one of men who think they are entitled to judge which rights women should have like their topless rights while they themselves are fully enjoying that privilege. At one point, many men even opposed giving the right for women to vote, thinking that it was best for women not to vote. Who are you, Mr. Ben Gvir to dictate what is best for women?

In Israel, gender equality is protected by the Gender equality act of 1951. In fact Israel is breaking its own law by not allowing women the right to go topless wherever men are legally allowed to.

As a woman, I feel “contempt and humiliation” when you and other men like you, consider my body and the body of my fellow women as your property and when you legislate on what is right and wrong for women! Very similar to many Muslim and Christian men, whose socially established opinion degrades women and keeps women barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen and without enjoying the same freedoms that men have. Men don't own women's bodies, women do!

Going topless triggers "Contempt and Humiliation of a woman's body" you say? Is it because the exposure of the female breast may spark a sexual thought in a man's mind? Sure it may! The naked chest of a man is also arousing to women! No one finds that "humiliating"! In fact, the sight of the complete human body (male and female) can trigger sexual feelings. Shall we impose the burqa on both male and female Israeli citizens to avoid any sexual thoughts from permeating in our society? If you are going to use this logic you have to go to the end of your thinking.

But, Mr. Ben-Gvir, don't you see that the repression of the female breasts that you advocate in public is precisely what makes men obsess over them! Less than a century ago, men were obsessing over women's legs because they were banned from public view. Today, no one thinks anything when seeing a woman pass by with a short skirt or shorts.

Equal topless rights, as all gender equal rights contribute to making our society more decent and civilized, more respectful of women and their bodies, not the other way around.

Only a perverted mindset thinks that exposing a female breast is more humiliating than exposing a male breast. Female breasts are as beautiful as men’s and they likewise come in all sizes. The only degradation that needs to be observed in the streets of Israel is the degradation of male domination and the unbiased enforcement of gender equal topless rights.

Respectfully yours,

Sharon Haziza,
Head of GoTopless in Israel
]]> Misc nadine Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:38:31 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.85.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.84.1
Dear Prime minister,

If I may take this opportunity to introduce myself, my name is Tamzin Brown and I am running a demonstration in London this day, Sunday the twenty-sixth of August, two thousand and twelve, in conjunction with Glenn Carter and GoTopless.org

Our protest is designed with the intent to highlight a socially ‘acceptable’ bigotry and to call for a clarification in the law regarding topless nudity.

The work of previous British Governments in making nudity laws by enlarge none discriminatory is commendable. However, the grace that these laws afford, when enforced by both the police and local authorities, almost uniformly do not extend to women and are in need of clarification.

In polite society it appears more acceptable, or indeed only acceptable, for a male to bare his chest in a public place and not a woman. Remembering that men also were classified as ‘indecent’ for baring their chests not a century ago and that now it is considered completely normal. Men also are free to walk past Downing Street in the summer with no coverings for their nipples, but not women. Men are also often seen topless on TV prior to any ‘watershed’ without any concern but not women. Is this not a double standard that restricts women’s freedoms and equal rights?

All of this only serves to prove that we as a society view female topless nudity, in effect my body, as only ‘Sexual’ and therefore inappropriate, ‘indecent’ or even ‘obscene’ if viewed anywhere outside of the bedroom. This apparent generic and normalized discrimination is in fact what is inappropriate, not the exposure of the female body.

I and we freely acknowledge the need for decency laws and willingly abide by them. However, this double standard of what is deemed as ‘decent’ or ‘indecent’ when being applied to male or female topless nudity by the individual is where the grey area exists within current legislation, which clearly needs to be updated.

I received these comments in a letter from the ‘Westminster Events Office’:
Whilst public nudity is not an offence in isolation, nudity or degrees of nudity can possible constitute a number of offences dependant upon its "purpose"," nature" and "location"
.

All of these points are clearly open to interpretation dependant upon the individual enforcement officer’s personal bias. This approach surely is not satisfactory when the possible outcome is an infringement of ones equal rights.

As you are completely aware we live in a pluralist society and I implore you to speak out and clarify this grey area of what is deemed decent or indecent within British law. The ability for each law enforcement officer to make his own decency judgment, imposing his or her personal bias upon the law limits my legal freedoms and is clearly a wholly inconsistent approach to enforcement.

The sooner we as a society cease from tolerating mindless or unconscious discrimination and address these inequalities, in all of their forms, the better. We, both male and female on this day are using our bodies to highlight an inequality between the treatment of men and woman. It is possible that this message will be happily lost in any press generated by our event, however I trust that this message will not be lost on you.

My breasts, covered or not, are not indecent nor should they even possibly be categorized as offensive.

Yours sincerely,

Tamzin Brown, Artist.
]]> Misc nadine Sat, 25 Aug 2012 18:45:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.84.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.82.1 LAS VEGAS, Aug. 25 - GoTopless announced today that its August 26 protests will take place in 30 cities worldwide, a marked improvement over last year.

But as GoTopless enters its 5th year of protests demanding women’s rights to go publicly topless, discrimination against bare-chested women continues worldwide.

“Despite our recent victory in Toronto, where our annual protest has just been officially welcomed after being forbidden last year, we still have much ground to cover before being granted our constitutional right to go bare-chested wherever men can,” said GoTopless President Nadine Gary. “Even with laws ensuring gender equality, women are still being arrested for going topless. The governments of the United States, Israel, France, the United Kingdom and Australia all supposedly guarantee gender equal rights. But Gotopless women have been clearly told they’re not free to go topless like men can, and that if they do, they will be fined and/or imprisoned.”

Calling this discrepancy “a blatant double standard,” Gary gave examples.

“In Tel Aviv, authorities told GoTopless leader Sharon Aziza this week that although Israeli law is vague about topless rights, female protesters must wear full bikini tops or face arrest,” Gary said. “Well, what about the men? Israel passed a Gender Equal Rights law in 1951!”

She said female demonstrators in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, London, Paris, Puebla, Mexico; Cartagena, Colombia; and elsewhere face arrest if they fail to wear tops at the August 26 event.

“It’s appalling that even female officials like the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina, are supporting the men who oppose topless gender equality!" she said. “They got where they are through gender equality. How can they deny that hard-earned right to other women?”

Gary said that many people call the public exposure of female breasts “a degradation” or “a humiliation of the women body.”

“Only a perverted mindset thinks that exposing a female breast is more humiliating than exposing a male breast,” she said. “Female breasts are as beautiful as men’s and they likewise come in all sizes. The only degradation that will be observed in the streets on August 26 is the degradation of male domination!”

GoTopless is determined to achieve topless equal rights worldwide.

“Gender equality is a basic human right!” Gary said.

]]> Misc nadine Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:06:27 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.82.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.81.1
Dear Mayor, Vice-Mayor, good Asheville City Council members,

I once again find myself explaining to you and your fine state the true purpose of our demonstration which you continue to denounce, apparently upon "moral" grounds.

First and foremost, this is a constitutional issue, not a moral issue - and morality is not a constitutional matter. I could imagine that eighty or so years ago, when a small group of men decided they would not wear bathing suits which covered their chest, that this might have been a moral issue. It was, after all, against the law at that time for a man to be topless. But since men won that legal right, women should - and DO have the same right according to the US Constitution.

Similarly, it was considered wrong and immoral for women to vote less than one hundred years ago. But the constitution disagreed and that took priority over "morality" once again. Women finally won a right they deserved all along which was denied them (by men) until women had to create demonstrations, rallies, petitions in order to claim their rights back. It sounds to me that if you and the City Council members were in office at that time, you would have voted to make sure women would still not have the right to vote. It seems ironic that the current Mayor, Vice-Mayor and some members of the City Council are women yet you are against constitutional equality. Of course that means that not only would you not be able to vote 100 years ago, you would certainly not have been considered for your current jobs!


The fact that the City of Asheville is not supporting the GoTopless rally means either you don't understand the constitutional point we are making - which might be the case since you say you will take the matter up with Raleigh in hopes of being able to take away this constitutional right for women, or, you are just covering your political butts so when reelection time comes, you don't get voted out because your opponent will surely claim you allow immoral activity in your fair city. We hope it's the latter reason, Ms. Bellamy because surely you wouldn't be against Constitutional Rights, would you? But then again, since you state in your open letter to Asheville residents that you "do not endorse" this activity, then you apparently "do not endorse" constitutional rights. So maybe you should not be in a political post after all?

Would you be against an NRA rally? Gun rights are a constitutional right as well. Elections are even won or lost on this issue - and might very well be won or lost on the topless issue one day soon.

Maybe worst of all, many women are ashamed to be without a shirt for no other reason than they were raised in a society which sees the woman's body as merely something sexual. Now that is, to me and millions of women, quite immoral! It's exactly that mindset which will change within a generation, Ms. Bellamy, just as it did for the generation which grew up after those brave men decided to remove their shirts at the beach about eighty years ago.

Ms. Bellamy and good City Council members, your North Carolina predecessors voted to keep slavery. What could be more immoral than the buying and selling of human beings? Yet in 2012 you oppose women being topless on moral grounds. North Carolina contributed more soldiers (with gun rights) to the Confederate cause than any other state. I hope you do not continue to make the same relative mistake regarding women's rights.

The change will happen with or without your resistance because it is our constitutional right.

Sincerely,
Lara Terstenjak, Director of Gotopless]]> Misc nadine Fri, 24 Aug 2012 20:00:19 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.81.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.83.1
In this recent interview, Maitreya Rael, speaks about GoTopless and the impact of women going topless in society.


]]> Misc nadine Fri, 24 Aug 2012 19:45:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.83.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.80.1
“That is, unless Google makes an arbitrary decision that an applicant’s online content violates its terms,” said Nadine Gary, president of U.S.-based GoTopless. She said GoTopless is fighting for women’s rights to go publicly topless wherever men have the right to do so, on the basis of gender equality as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment.

“We tried to set up Adsense for our organization’s Web site [www.GoTopless.org], but Google rejected us,” Gary said. “Their representative said we’re displaying adult content, and that a Web site with illustrations or text unsuitable for young children is generally banned from participating in the Adsense program.”

But GoTopless’s Web site content is no more unsuitable for young children than the images and words they already see elsewhere in our society, according to Gary.

“Google is discriminating against us for displaying things children already see in places where female public toplessness is legal,” she explained. “Since 1992, women can legally go topless in New York State, as just one example. That means children already see women’s breasts in New York City streets and in many other places. Shame on Google for being behind the times and hindering an important women’s rights cause, which is also a civil rights cause!”

Gary said that although many GoTopless demonstrations are already scheduled in a number of U.S. cities for this coming Sunday, August 26, her organization may opt to add another location to protest Google’s decision.

“We picked August 26 so that our events will coincide with Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates Aug. 26, 1920, the day American women obtained the right to vote,” she explained. “But rigid Puritanism is clearly so pervasive in our society that it seems to have affected even companies that were once considered cutting-edge for their liberal orientation. Accordingly, although it’s short notice, we may add a GoTopless protest outside Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, to protest their discriminatory exclusion of our organization from Adsense.”

For a complete list of cities holding a Gotopless protest this Sunday, see http://gotopless.org/gotopless-day
]]> Misc nadine Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:42:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.80.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.79.3
In Paris, it will be its second attempt… “Attempt” is the proper term because last year, the few women who wanted to celebrate “GoTopless” Day by walking topless in the streets of Paris ended up at the police station before being able to remove the slightest piece of clothing.

How is it possible for six women to be arrested at the exit of a subway station simply because they intended to go topless, like all the other men who were accompanying them?

Guilty of their intention, guilty of daring to be equal to men insofar as their freedom to expose their bodies, guilty of claiming a right that was acquired on August 26th 1789 – as the Declaration of Human Rights was being adopted – guilty of denouncing a blatant discrimination when it comes to certain men having far more voluminous breasts than some women – and it does not require anyone to be overly observant to notice this.

Some will argue that it is because men have a penis… So, does it mean that in order for women to expose their breasts in Paris today, they must have a very big clitoris between their legs?

The debate is clearly childish, no doubt. In 1900, bathing suits covered most of the women’s bodies and it was only in the 1910's that a few women dared to expose their knees.

Then, in 1946, a French engineer invented the bikini, and this created quite a stir on beaches a year later… Women in France went on to progressively expose their breasts on these same beaches, which led to the admiration of feminists overseas who were themselves dealing with an uncompromising Puritanism on their beaches.

What happened to these French progressive women of the 70's and 80's? Today, it is possible for women to walk topless in the streets of New York; Indeed, in 1992, women took the battle to the NY State Supreme Court to claim their right to be topless the same way men are, and they won.

Between Paris and New York, which city is now the most puritanical?

It goes without saying that behind these laws prohibiting women from showing their breasts lies an evident accumulation of religious taboos.

According to religious authorities, exposing a breast is considered a sexual act that can lead to a possible trauma in children who witness such lewdness. Knowing that many children are exposed to this indecency during the first months and years of their lives, it is difficult to imagine where this trauma could arise from, if not from the fear inflicted by these very religious authorities.

In the beginning of the past century, to expose an ankle was considered a sexually charged act. Eventually, these exposed ankles lost their “sex appeal,” and this means it is likely that breasts will go through the same process once they are no longer confined.

If women’s breasts are not admitted on the public stage to the same extent that men’s breasts are then it is time to impose the burqa for all. This way, in the absence of freedom, at least gender equality will prevail and be respected.

The Gotopless march, scheduled to take place in Paris on August 26th 2012 – anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights– is an important step toward true and genuine gender equality.
If men have the right to expose their bare chest in public there is no logical reason why women should be denied this right.
The Declaration of Human Rights was inspired by the Natural Law, which protects all human beings from any religious influence. The majority of people in France are atheists, and yet religious rites and taboos still dictate how people should dress and still determine French holidays… If you are fed up with such hypocrisy, do join us in Paris at Fontaine St- Michel on August 26th, at 1:30pm.

And even if you do not wish to go topless on that day, which is your most sacred right, come support those who will be there, breasts exposed, marching to claim their constitutional right to be “equal to men in all aspects.”
]]> Events nadine Mon, 20 Aug 2012 05:57:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.79.3 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.76.1
GoTopless contacted the artist to ask him about this artwork currently displayed at the American National Gallery of Art in NYC because to GoTopless women, it trancends in different ways  women’s struggle for topless equal rights. 

Indeed, the First Lady of the United States is represented topless and free, empowered and dignified.  She also embodies the way her women ancestors must have proudly appeared before the religion of the colonizer covered them with shame. 


GT: Why were you inspired to represent the First Lady in her African ethnicity?
I wanted to make the example of Michelle Obama embracing her ethnicity, because I didn't think that it would ever happen in any visible, superficial way. I wanted to make the statement that she brings a new look to the Whitehouse, and that it is a historical event, and for the sake of of future scrutinization, she should not appear to be downplaying her ethnicity by courting comparisons to Jackie Kennedy just to appeal to white voters. Michelle Obama is the first example of a new era.
GT: Why did you sculpt the American Flag on her bosom?
The flag tattoo on Michelle's bosom was a commentary on the criticism Barack Obama was receiving, at that time, about the absence of a flag pin on his lapel. It was as though critics were questioning his commitment to America. The flag had escaped me that it might be perceived as a reference to slave branding, which doesn't change my thought about its original intent. Forcing Barack to wear a flag pin on his lapel (which he did, immediately following the criticism) was a form of branding. I think if it had occurred to me that the tattoo would be considered referential to slavery, I would have avoided it, which would have been a shame, I think.


GT: Why representing her as a nude bust?
The nude depiction of Michelle is a traditional convention of the language of sculpture.

GT: What do you think of the gender-equality National Gotopless Day, from a sculptor's point of view?
From a sculptor's point of view, gender-equality National Gotopless Day is an incredible opportunity to study the female form in a natural way! as a sculptor, I would love to be able to understand the diversity of forms of the breast not confined to the contrived setting of the artist's studio, or the intimate setting of the bedroom, or the sexual artificiality of an airbrushed/photoshopped image from a magazine. As a sculptor, I would love to see the different sizes of breasts, without preferences. I would love to see the effects of age and gravity on the form of the breast, and I would love to know the feeling of appreciation and/or empathy that could come from seeing that. I would like to be able to connect the forms of breasts to real women doing real things; to understand breasts as merely parts of the whole being.]]> Misc nadine Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:56:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.76.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.78.5
"The biggest task in breast cancer detection is early diagnosis, and I am convinced that one of the greatest contributors in the late diagnosis and fatal outcomes of breast cancer is the feeling that women have that they are supposed to hide the breast and that the breast is somehow a forbidden territory that should be concealed.

This attitude imposed on women has, in my opinion, held many women back from getting proper evaluations and kept many cancers from being detected even when the physical signs would be obvious.

This attitude must change, and I think your civil rights battle for women’s topless rights is needed in our fight against this horrible disease.

Males generally do not get breast cancer and when it occurs it is obvious to everyone and detected early and easily successfully treated.

Everyone has breasts. They are not sexual organs.

Except for a few weeks in a woman's life when she nurses a child, they serve the same function as the male. Many male breasts are larger than female breasts.

The day that women are freed of the burden of unnecessarily and dangerously hiding the breast will represent a great step forward in our fight against a deadly disease, and I applaud your efforts.

As far as sun exposure is concerned, the breast is, again, no different than any other part of the body, and should be protected with sunscreen. The nipple is the same tissue as the lips and should be handled the same way, with sunscreen, chapstick, lip balm, etc. depending on the type of exposure (sun, wind, etc.).

Your breast is as ready for sun exposure as your face!"

Dr. John Brannan, MD<span>Please sign the petition on White House website for equal topless rights -deadline Sept 13</span><div>http://wh.gov/gGCT[/block]
]]> Health nadine Wed, 15 Aug 2012 23:37:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.78.5 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.77.2
Gary said said GoTopless is inviting the women of Femen, an Ukranian women’s rights organization, to take part in a GoTopless demonstration in Paris on August 26, anniversary of the original Declaration of Human Rights (Aug. 26, 1789).

“By criminalizing female top-lessness, the city of Paris is clearly violating the principles of gender equality laid out in that historical document,” Gary said in a statement released by GoTopless this morning. “In Paris, it’s against the law for a woman to bare her breasts in public. Yet this is a simple matter of gender equality guaranteed by the French Constitution.”

Gary said the founder of GoTopless has made his position clear.

“If men expose their bare chests in public, then, constitutionally speaking, women should have that same right,” said Rael, founder of GoTopless and leader of the International Raelian Movement, in a recent statement based on one of his speeches. “If women don’t have that right, then we must also force men to cover their chests in public.”

Accordingly, Maryline Canin, Gotopless coordinator for France, is asking Femen members to support GoTopless by joining in the Paris demonstration on August 26.

“The courage and indignation shown by Femen in the face of injustice against women is an example for us!” Canin said. We invite Femen to take part in our Paris demonstration to denounce discriminatory acts committed by the French capital, just as they helped demand the right to abortion from the top of the cathedral in Kiev!”

Canin said French GoTopless women were victims of abuse by the authorities during the peaceful GoTopless demonstration held in Paris last year.
“Parisian police officers surrounded them while they were still fully clothed and hadn’t even arrived at the place where the demonstration was to start,” Canin explained. “They were then taken to the police station and detained there for hours on no grounds at all. As a result, they were effectively kept from taking part in the demonstration. Meanwhile, the men who were present when the women were arrested were free to continue the march.”
[See: http://www.gotopless.org/news.php?extend.58 ]

Canin said complaints for illegal detention, discrimination and failing to respect the freedom to demonstrate have been filed against the city and are currently under review.

“The real reason for these random arrests, which was not revealed at the outset, was certainly the programmed route’s proximity to Notre Dame Cathedral,” Canin said.
”Under no circumstances should the French Constitution be swayed by subjective morality, much less by religion! Therefore, the police authorities have no right to abide by such a decree and we will make sure they know about it when they surround us again this year!”

Canin said French authorities have lost sight of the principles on which their iconic documents were based.

“Marianne, the symbolic figure associated to the French republican motto “liberty, equality, fraternity,” is often shown bare-breasted,” Canin pointed out. “Her nudity is the very expression of liberty and equality, so will they soon cover Marianne as well?”

She said the time to emphasize gender equality rights for women is long overdue.

“The tribute to August 26, 1789, is an ideal opportunity to finally liberate female bodies and minds from Catholic indoctrination and affirm equal rights,” Canin said. “A woman who is proud of her body and her nudity is a free woman.”

Canin said August 26 GoTopless Day events are also planned for London, Geneva, Amsterdam and Bucarest.]]> Press Releases nadine Wed, 15 Aug 2012 19:42:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.77.2 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.75.1 Minister of Women's Rights


Madam Minister,

Please accept our sincere congratulations on your recent nomination to this very important position, one that is vital for the evolution of our society.

As August 26th draws near, anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights , which ensures equal rights for all – a tenet with a built-in constitutional value – the GoTopless organization would like to call your attention on a very unpleasant situation instigated by the authorities during a demonstration that took place in Paris last year.

As a matter of information, GoTopless was founded in 2007 by Rael, spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement. Each year, on this day, numerous marches take place around the world to celebrate gender equality, and thousands of women and men of various beliefs, religious affiliations, and sexual orientations take part in the event.

Simply put: so long as men have the right to walk in public with their bare chest exposed, women should have that same right. In other words, topless for all or for no one. This is gender equality in its simplest form and it is even proclaimed in the preamble of the 1946 Constitution, which means it has a constitutional value.

A year ago, for the first time in Paris, an awareness march was organized to encourage women to use their constitutional right to be “topless” in public. At one point during the event, the Paris police illegally surrounded a small group of six women and three men that was in the process of joining the larger group and ordered them to stay still.

Following this most bizarre police intervention, the six women were then taken to the police station where they were detained for several hours and deprived of their freedom and their right to participate in the march. No reason or explanation was ever given to them. Meanwhile, the men were able to proceed to the march without having their freedom infringed by a sexist and unprincipled police force.

On August 26th of this year, a march will again be organized in Paris. It will evidently be an opportunity to publicly denounce, on an international scale, the attitude that France, a country that pretends to champion Human Rights, has when it comes to gender equality.

How is it possible for a country that has witnessed, on August 26th 1789, the birth of the Declaration of Human Rights to become so extremely indifferent and disrespectful of these rights?


When it comes to gender equality, the inequality could not be any more obvious. The responsibility and accountability of political officials are vital when dealing with the pressure by religious and conservative lobbyists.

As the new Minister of Women's Rights, will you accept that women’s equality and freedom be jeopardized or replaced by these ideologies and anti-constitutional practices?

Will the police authorities protect women’s rights or will they ally with conservative forces by prohibiting women from exercising their constitutional rights?

Almost 40 years ago, when Golda Meir, then Prime Minister of Israel, was asked that a curfew be instated for women in order to end a series of rapes, she astonishingly replied, “It is men who attack women. Men are the ones who should stay home.”

In the eyes of GoTopless activists, the choice of freeing their breasts is a bold and bona fide political statement in order to free their minds from the cultural and religious taboos that currently oppress women.

This statement is meant to open the way to more freedom for the entire society that no longer wishes to be under a yoke imposed by an aged Puritanism. To be covered or to be bare: Only women should make that choice and only women should have that freedom.

And contrary to what well-intentioned authorities would have us believe, the madness isn’t to be topless outside on a hot summer day, but rather that only men are entitled to be so…

Please do not hesitate to contact us, should you require any further information or request a meeting with a representative so that we can put an end to this discrimination once and for all.

Yours sincerely,

Maryline Canin,
Head of GoTopless in France
]]> Misc nadine Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:38:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.75.1 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.74.2
GoTopless is also writing directly to President Obama to obtain his support.*

“Any state or local law making it illegal for a woman to go topless is unconstitutional, but most people don’t know that,” said GoTopless President Nadine Gary. “That’s why we’re taking the issue of topless rights to the top by demanding the president’s attention to this issue. A woman’s right to go topless falls under the 14th Amendment’s gender equality provision, and nobody knows that better than President Obama. He taught constitutional law.”

The GoTopless petition is posted on the White House website.**

“We urge people nationwide to sign it,” Gary said. “We need 25,000 signatures to meet our goal.”

She added that topless rights are now where men’s were a century ago.



“People forget it wasn’t acceptable for men to bare their chests until 1933,” Gary said. “Even men’s bathing suits had to include a top. Clark Gable exposed his chest in the 1934 movie ‘It Happened One Night,’ and it caused a national scandal. Today, nobody thinks a thing of it when a man takes his shirt off. Now it’s women’s turn.”

Gary said GoTopless was founded in 2007 by Rael, spiritual leader of the International Raelian Movement, after he heard of a New York City case in which a woman arrested for going topless sued for wrongful arrest and won significant damages.

“Her right was upheld but it shouldn’t have been necessary for her to prove it,” Gary commented. “New York has been a legally topless state for women since 1992, but frequently the police either don’t know the law or ignore it to appease religious zealots.”

Top-down, rigid morality codes of mainstream religions are the primary source of topless inequality directed against women, and mustn’t be allowed to override the Constitution, according to GoTopless.

“The Constitution is very clear about separation of church and state,” Gary said. 

* http://gotopless.org/news.php?extend.72
** http://wh.gov/gGCT]]> Press Releases admin Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:37:00 -0500 http://gotopless.org/news.php?item.74.2