Topless march in T.O.
By Maryam Shah, Toronto Sun
First posted: Sunday, August 23, 2015 08:58 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, August 23, 2015 09:04 PM EDT
Loud, proud — and topless.
They just wanted to be able to walk down the street bare chested — the same as a man.
Around 25 topless women, accompanied by male supporters dressed in bikini tops, took to downtown streets of Toronto Sunday to exercise their legal right to go topless in public.
Rallying on Go Topless Day, they were protesting the cultural stigma around topless women, said organizer Fatima Mechtab.
In Ontario, women have had the right to be topless in public since 1996, five years after a topless Gwen Jacobs walked home on a hot summer day and charged with commiting an indecent act. Her conviction was eventually overturned.
“I should be able to do that and it shouldn’t cause a fuss,” Mechtab said. “But it is causing a fuss.
“Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean that people accept it,” she added.
The march attracted a small crowd of mostly male gawkers with camera phones, prompting some bare chested participants to yell at them.
A placard read “I’m not here for your amusement.”
“It’s not what we were hoping for,” said Jana Rodriguez, owner of Oasis Aqualounge — on Mutual St. — which served as a meeting point for marchers.
While she herself did not participate, Rodriguez supports the right to go topless.
“We were expecting more supportive couples and women who would be feeling the same like us, rather than having just guys trying to take pictures of naked breasts,” Rodriguez said.
One man refused to answer when asked why he was recording topless marchers. Another man said it was for himself and that he supported them.
Male supporters were encouraged to wear bikini tops, to poke fun at gender norms.
Dressed in a red and black bikini top, Caleb Cromb said a march to reduce stigma around female toplessness should not even be necessary.
“They should be allowed to do it without hassle,” he said.
Chants of “My body, my choice!” rang out across Carlton St., as the group made its way to Yonge St. and back up to Oasis Aqualounge.
Some pedestrians were left puzzled by the legality of the situation. One man assured another as the group walked by: “It’s actually legal to do it.”
Another man showed his displeasure with a thumb pointed downward from across the street.
maryam.shah@sunmedia.ca
A group of topless women and men wearing bikini tops marched through downtown Toronto to mark "Go Topless Day." (JACK BOLAND, Toronto Sun)
Topless march in T.O. | Home | Toronto Sun
if they are allowed to go topless we should be allowed to give them breast cancer examinations.
By Maryam Shah, Toronto Sun
First posted: Sunday, August 23, 2015 08:58 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, August 23, 2015 09:04 PM EDT
Loud, proud — and topless.
They just wanted to be able to walk down the street bare chested — the same as a man.
Around 25 topless women, accompanied by male supporters dressed in bikini tops, took to downtown streets of Toronto Sunday to exercise their legal right to go topless in public.
Rallying on Go Topless Day, they were protesting the cultural stigma around topless women, said organizer Fatima Mechtab.
In Ontario, women have had the right to be topless in public since 1996, five years after a topless Gwen Jacobs walked home on a hot summer day and charged with commiting an indecent act. Her conviction was eventually overturned.
“I should be able to do that and it shouldn’t cause a fuss,” Mechtab said. “But it is causing a fuss.
“Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean that people accept it,” she added.
The march attracted a small crowd of mostly male gawkers with camera phones, prompting some bare chested participants to yell at them.
A placard read “I’m not here for your amusement.”
“It’s not what we were hoping for,” said Jana Rodriguez, owner of Oasis Aqualounge — on Mutual St. — which served as a meeting point for marchers.
While she herself did not participate, Rodriguez supports the right to go topless.
“We were expecting more supportive couples and women who would be feeling the same like us, rather than having just guys trying to take pictures of naked breasts,” Rodriguez said.
One man refused to answer when asked why he was recording topless marchers. Another man said it was for himself and that he supported them.
Male supporters were encouraged to wear bikini tops, to poke fun at gender norms.
Dressed in a red and black bikini top, Caleb Cromb said a march to reduce stigma around female toplessness should not even be necessary.
“They should be allowed to do it without hassle,” he said.
Chants of “My body, my choice!” rang out across Carlton St., as the group made its way to Yonge St. and back up to Oasis Aqualounge.
Some pedestrians were left puzzled by the legality of the situation. One man assured another as the group walked by: “It’s actually legal to do it.”
Another man showed his displeasure with a thumb pointed downward from across the street.
maryam.shah@sunmedia.ca
A group of topless women and men wearing bikini tops marched through downtown Toronto to mark "Go Topless Day." (JACK BOLAND, Toronto Sun)
Topless march in T.O. | Home | Toronto Sun
if they are allowed to go topless we should be allowed to give them breast cancer examinations.
