DENVER -- Hundreds of people, some only carrying a bag above the waist, protested Sunday for a woman's right to go topless in public.
The event, which drew both men and women to Civic Center Park and the 16th St. Mall, not only aimed to raise awareness about the freedom Denver enjoys as one of many cities within the U.S. that legally allow women to walk around topless in public, but also sought to change the sexualized perception around female toplessness.
What's the point of events like these when there's much more pressing matters going on in the world?
"Because I have two daughters. How women are labeled and viewed profoundly affects our interactions at our most fundamental level, and current society isn't getting it right," said one of the event organizers on the Denver GoTopless Day 2016 Facebook event page. "Defining women's bodies as inherently sexual objectifies them. My daughters are more than objects. These events shout to the world that we can do better."
"It is only logical that GoTopless Day protests (or celebrations depending on the legal status of your city) would fall around Women's Equality Day since the right to go topless for women is based on gender equality as their right to vote once was," said a Go Topless Day organizer on their official website.
#Topless protesters march down @16thStMALL, hoping to bring attention to #GenderEquity #Denver pic.twitter.com/swugYhFb1U
— Russell Haythorn (@RussellHaythorn) August 28, 2016
Colorado's fight for female toplessness
While female toplessness is not banned in Denver, cities like Fort Collins have been fighting for months to end the ban with the "Free the Nipple" movement.
A judge has yet to rule on whether a city ordinance banning women from baring their breasts in public is a violation of the First Amendment, after the "Free the Nipple" movement sued them back in June.
(MAP: Green zones allow toplessness; orange zones have "ambiguous laws"; red zones forbid female toplessness. Courtesy: GoTopless.org)
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