May 17, 2013

Topless Women in Public Not Breaking the Law, Says NYPD

By Hannah Ridge / policymic.com
Topless Women in Public Not Breaking the Law, Says NYPD

Ladies of New York , you are free to walk bare-breasted through the city! New York City's 34,000 police officers have been instructed that, should they encounter a woman in public who is shirtless but obeying the law, they should not arrest her. This is a good step towards gender parity in public spaces.

This decision means that breast exposure is not considered public lewdness, indecent exposure, or disorderly conduct. It also notes that, should a crowd form around a topless woman, the officer should instruct the crowd to disperse and then respond appropriately if it does not. Relative coverage is no longer a factor.

This policy shift comes after several years of litigation and protest. In the 1992 case People v. Ramona Santorelli and Mary Lou Schloss, the New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of two women who were arrested with five others for exposing their breasts in a Rochester park, holding the law void as discriminatory.  The ruling was put to the test in 2005, when Jill Coccaro bared her breasts on Delancey Street in New York, citing the 1992 decision, and was detained for twelve hours. She subsequently successfully sued the city for $29,000.

In 2007, Go Topless, a national organization supporting gender equality in shirtlessness laws, established Go Topless Day. Dozens of women protest – often topless – in thirty cities around the United States, promoting equal rights to be shirtless. Protests usually include chants of “Free your breasts.  Free your minds” and a song “Let ‘em Breath” to the tune of the Beatles’ “Let it Be.”

While some who have witnessed these events have suggested that "[t]his is extreme liberalism and why America’s in decline” or “[i]t’s degrading to women,” others have been supportive. One man even said he would encourage his wife to join them.

Though bare-breasted women might shock the sensibilities of some in the public, it is encouraging to see the police responding positively to gender bias, even on such a seemingly small scale. After all, no one thinks twice about a man shirtless on a summer day. However, the female nipple or chest is still considered “lewd.” By reminding its officers of this, the NYPD is publicly declaring that it will no longer perpetuate unconstitutional gender discrimination, a standard to which all law enforcement should be held and a decision for which it should be applauded.

Footage of the protesters can be found here (NSFW)  

 

Wondering what else is on this site? 

You can use this image to share the Wall of Films on Facebook

The Top 100 Social Change Documentaries

Top 10 Films that Explain Why OWS Exists

Activism   Culture   Gender   Human Rights
Rate this article 
Culture
#MeToo & Liberation For All
The Conflation Trap: How the Left & Right get Fooled into Supporting Elite Interests
Trending Videos
OMG: Trump HUMILIATED at His OWN Military Parade | Brian Tyler Cohen
9 min - For more from Brian Tyler Cohen: https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohennews
Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980)
780 min - Astronomer Carl Sagan's landmark 13-part science series takes you on an awe-inspiring cosmic journey to the edge of the Universe and back aboard the spaceship of the imagination.The series was...
Israelism (2023)
84 min - When two young American Jews raised to unconditionally love Israel witness the brutal way Israel treats Palestinians, their lives take sharp left turns. They join a movement of young American Jews...
"The Beginning of Fascism": How Trump's Immigrant Crackdown Is Crushing Democracy
13 min - As immigrant rights protests spread to Chicago, we speak with Democratic Congressmember Delia Ramirez, who is the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants and married to a DACA recipient and recently...
Angela Davis on Veganism as Part of a Revolutionary Perspective
4 min - In this discussion with Grace Lee Boggs, Angela Davis talks about being vegan and what she believes being responsible towards other sentient beings entails in regards to our food choices.
Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way (2008)
82 min - Join Geoff Lawton on a Permaculture adventure as he demonstrates how to grow a food forest from start to finish. Over 90 minutes of quality information to get you on the right track in creating...
The Settlers (2016)
111 min - An intimate look at life inside the Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Following Israel's decisive victory in 1967s Six-Day War, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have settled the...
Trending Articles
Call Outs, Canceling, Shaming and More: Activist Tactics That Need a 2nd Look
Now Streaming For Free
Subscribe for $5/mo to Watch over 50 Patron-Exclusive Films
Subscribe $5/mo View All Patron Films

 

Your support keeps us ad-free and financially independent

Our 10,000+ video & article library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patron subscribers!


Want to double your impact? You can subscribe for $10/mo or more as an extra show of support.