GoTopless supports Councilman Worthington on his Berkeley, CA topless proposal
Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle: Rene Messick laughs as Chelsea Ducote paints her chest during Go Topless Day at Dolores Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Sunday, August 23, 2015
San Francisco CA, Sept 5 - GoTopless is thrilled to learn that councilman Kriss Worthington has launched a proposal to annul the antiquated and sexist indecent exposure law concerning women going topless in public in Berkeley, CA.
The proposed ordinance reads: “If a woman's nipples are fit to be seen by the most innocent and impressionable portion of the population, babies and toddlers, then it stands to reason that nipples are not inherently sexual and are fit to be seen by the rest of the population, if that woman so chooses.”
"We wholeheartedly applaud this proposal," said Nadine Gary, President of GoTopless, "we have actively fought for topless equality for the last decade and are delighted to see political figures stand up for this gender equality matter".
Gary remembers that in 2015, councilwoman Melissa Diner of District 11 of the City of Los Angeles had launched a similar proposal for her Venice Beach neighborhood but the Los Angeles City Council had not acted on it stating more pressing priorities.
"It is quite an oddity to see California react so conservatively on equal gender topless rights when it's been legal in the state of New York for 25 years already!" remarks Gary. "Let is see how Worthington's proposal fairs, it will be considered by Berkeley's city council meeting on Sept 12."
Another legal matter may soon improve gender equality: GoTopless' court case Tagami VS The City of Chicago soon to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. "It is likely to finally offer some well needed constitutional light on women's topless right." says Gary
Gotopless just celebrated its 10th anniversary on Aug. 26, 2017, honoring Women Equality Day with GoTopless events in many cities throughout the Western world, including 40 in the US alone.
10th anniversary GoTopless Parades in 19 American cities and many large cities around the world
Washington, DC, Aug. 25 - The Gotopless event organizers are reporting at least 19 events in the USA and 40 events worldwide to be held on Saturday August 26 in honor of Women's Equality Day. Their goal is to request equal gender topless rights for men and women.
“The list of the cities where Gotopless rallies will take place is growing every year” said Nadine Gary, leader of the Worldwide Gotopless Movement and Raelian Guide. “ Each city brings its own color in the topless panorama. NYC will have the world's first topless marching band ever; participants in LA will have to cover their nipples as in Phoenix, Az, Chicago,Il and Duluth, Mn, cities where going topless is still banned.
However, they will all bring their peaceful and joyful determination to be respected as a human being and not to be discriminated against because of the size of their breasts.”
“Our hope is to have millions joining our events in 2020 when we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment” Gary said. “In 1920, women earned their right to vote on the basis of gender equality, the same constitutional principle must apply to the female chest, not only the politically correct areas of a woman’s life.”
The women gathered in Washington DC, a legally topless city, on Saturday will have a special thought for the congresswomen who fought this year to have the right to attend sessions bare armed. “The female representatives of this country had to comply with archaic rules preventing them from showing the skin of their arms when in Congress until 2017. They won the right to wear sleeveless tops by unifying and defying. The thousands of women supporting the Gotopless movement are unifying and will defy again on Saturday and every year until they are granted equal topless rights”.
Venice Beach, CA legally topless by 2020! GoTopless celebrates its 10th anniversary in VB on Aug. 26
Los Angeles, CA, Aug. 24 - While Gotopless event organizers are getting ready for their multiple marches scheduled next Saturday throughout North America and Europe, the organization's L.A. branch is finalizing its Venice boardwalk parade while hoping to be fully topless by 2020.
For the past 10 years, the organization has held annual GoTopless Day events on August 26 to honor Women's Equality Day commemorating the passing of the 19th Amendment and inspiring women worldwide to stand up for that right.
“We’re working toward freeing women’s nipples and obtaining equal gender topless rights that are enforced worldwide,” said GoTopless’ Spokesperson, Lia Steinman, who leads the organization’s L.A. branch.
She said the Los Angeles GoTopless Day Parade will begin at Navy St./Boardwalk at 1PM with speeches about topless equality and the ERA and conclude on Windward Circle.
Two years ago in April, Venice Neighborhood Council Community Officer Melissa Diner had sponsored a resolution that would allow women equal topless rights on Venice Beach. It was adopted by a 12-2 vote, but still requires county and city approval before it can go into effect. That could take time.
“The Venice Neighborhood Council’s approval is a hopeful step forward after a decade of activism on Venice Beach,” Steinman said. Now it’s time for the city and county to follow up by making equal gender topless rights a priority!”
GoTopless is aiming at the year 2020 for Venice Beach and the whole state of California to finally obtain its legal topless equality statute, just mirroring NY State legally topless since 1992.
Topless advocate, Anni Ma, inspired by Gotopless activism, is suing the city of Los Angele for gender discrimination during her topless arrest last Spring. Her lawyer is very hopeful with the positive legal outcome of this case.
“2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment” Steinman said. “In 1920, women earned their right to vote on the basis of gender equality. The same constitutional principle must apply to the female chest, not only the politically-correct areas of a woman’s life.”
The Gotopless case Tagami vs The City of Chicago will reach the U.S. Supreme Court very soon and Ms. Tagami will be co-leading our parade in Venice.
Nadine Gary, leader of the Gotopless Movement, explained that the state of California, several U.S. states, and many countries around the world ban equal topless rights because of archaic patriarchal values widely perpetrated by Abrahamic religions in Western democracies.
“The GoTopless campaign runs much deeper than a little nipple show,” she concluded. “It rattles an obsolete social system that needs to be overcome for ‘the new human being’ to emerge and a peaceful world along with it.