So, for the Fourth of July, we got a group together and headed down to Battery Park, in view of the Statue of Liberty, for a picnic on the grass. No better time for it, right? Statue of Liberty, Fourth of July. Enjoying our liberty to be topless outdoors, as established as a right under New York law some 24 years ago.
An hour or so into our blissful afternoon, these two uncomfortable-looking policewomen show up.
“We’ve had complaints. It’s the Fourth of July. There are children around.”
And?
“You can’t be naked here.”
We’re not naked. We’re covered from the waist down, just like the men in the park. We’re uncovered from the waist up, just like the men in the park.
“But…you can’t…”
Call your headquarters. Please. Talk to them. You’ll see. We promise, you’ll learn that you’re wrong. What we are doing is 100 percent legal. It has been since a court ruling in 1992, establishing that women and men have equal rights under the law, in this case the equal right to take our shirts off in a park on a hot summer day. Every time a police officer has forgotten this and arrested a woman for doing something that’s actually legal, the city winds up getting sued and it costs the city tens of thousands of dollars in damages–
“Are you trying to get these women arrested?”
No, officer. We’re trying to keep you from making a mistake that will embarrass you and cost the city a lot of money. Call your headquarters. Trust me. You won’t be sorry you did.
And…they did. Call headquarters. And then did, learn. They stood around with their backs to us for maybe twenty minutes while waiting for backup to arrive…
…but when backup did arrive — two uncomfortable-looking male police officers — they were told we were right. “They have the same right to take their shirts off that I do,” said one of the men, looking a little wistful standing in his heavy uniform under the July sun. “Has anyone bothered you?” he asked us. “Harassed you?”
Only the police, we said.
He nodded. Well, let us know if there’s any problem.
And off they plodded, to foil evildoers elsewhere.
A blow for liberty. A police force educated. A small victory, but one we shouldn’t have had to win, and that women shouldn’t have to keep fighting for over and over again. People sometimes ask us, “Why do you bother making such a big deal about the right to go topless in New York, where it’s already legal?” This is why.
Now, ignorance isn’t a crime. Not even ignorance of the law. Not even if you’re a police officer whose job is to enforce the law. And to these officers’ credit, they behaved politely throughout, if grimly, and when proven wrong, they conceded. Their sidearms stayed in their holsters throughout. But we shouldn’t have had to negotiate rights we already have with armed agents of the government. We really shouldn’t.
A little later, a late-arriving friend showed up and we told her about the excitement she had missed. Cops! In uniform! We heard handcuffs clanking as they approached! We didn’t know what was going to happen!
So what did you do? she asked.
We bribed them, we answered. With a little truth. Slipped them a bit of knowledge, under the table.
And…?
And we were left at liberty, we said.
You are very brave. It seems such a small action, but it must be terrifying to have the law threaten you. Keep up the good work and enjoy the sun!
Well, to be fair, they didn’t threaten. The loomed a bit ominously and looked rather grave and unhappy, but we can’t complain of the sort of unfair treatment some people get from the police. They didn’t choke us, they didn’t handcuff us. They didn’t touch us in any way. They didn’t raise their voices. But yes, lying on the ground in nothing but a bikini bottom when a pair of gun-toting uniformed officers walk up is inherently disconcerting.
And how!
Well done! Quite right too. Brilliant!
Governments always try to turn natural behavior into a crime. It’s their religion, to make a living. If laws would make sense, people wouldn’t violate them.
When people go to court, they should find agreement on the laws first, before they prosecute somebody.
Keep fighting, girls, for free breasts. That’s the way freedom starts. It’s a peace generating mission.
I am equal parts appreciative gentleman and gentleman admirer, but I wonder sometimes, if your ‘unofficial’ mascot ought not be Sisyphus….
24 years-plus, yet it seems almost daily you are forced to educate the un-informed. Especially maddening when, as today, it is the enforcers of the law who need to be educated in the laws they are tasked to enforce… *sigh*
In a lighter vein, I have to say, when a fully-dressed person feels the need to cover up, as the officer to the left in your first photo, they must be Really uncomfortable with their own reactions…
To borrow an old expression: “Keep the flag flying!”, Ladies
Oh boy! They sure did look uncomfortable.
Maybe those two policewomen will join you on their next afternoon off? Then Liberty really will have struck a blow!
Lovely bottom, by the way.
We did suggest it to them. We mentioned that an off-duty cop did join us at one event (this is true), but neither of these women seemed tempted.
WOW ! Huge win, so proud, keep up the education.
An Old Guy Supports OTCPFAS Activism!
Those two female officers looked uncomfortable with their clothes on. They would never feel comfortable being topless. They will never join you and enjoy the freedom that your group embraces. Sad for them.
Gentlemen, IMHO, when we make comments about anatomy that we see in the pictures, we continue to perpetuate the challenges that O.C.T.P.F.A.S. is striving to overcome. If you were standing right next to her, would you utter the same comment? Cheers. –Griff
Thank you for saying that
With Liberty and justice for ALL
Ignorance is right! Children there? Children don’t care unless the parents bring it up.
Well done ladies!!!, that you fought for your rights in a very civil way and then you demonstrated that the law it is on your side too!!
A magnificent exercise of Independence on a magnificent 4th of July. Bravo!
I watched the Macy’s concert and fireworks last night over the river. Wonder if you caused more concern than the 3 million people watching the show?
It depends. Probably I’d confine myself something more generic like, “You all look great!”
That said, we’re on a blog here, a blog where the blogger(s) send us pictures of themselves bare-breasted and sometimes nude. Assuming the remark is civil and good-humored, I can’t see how something like “lovely bottom” made on this blog would be offensive nor how it would “perpetuate the challenges” the group strives to overcome.
And, yes, they all looked great (as usual). And the cops looked as uncomfortable as they were reported to be. I guess they must have missed the “What do you say to a [topless] lady” training session.
In the “I only bought ‘Playboy’ for the articles” vein, I credit the group with good leads (Lawrence Block’s “Getting Off: A Novel of Sex and Violence,” for example) on pulp fiction, and I appreciate that very much.
~ JBB
I’d say they were very ignorant. As far as the children goes,they don’t pay attention until the parents tell them so.
Hope you ladies are apply sun screen when laying out in the sun. Exercise your right to be topless in public is great, but don’t forget to take care of your body from getting to much sun. Job well done in handling the situation.
Love, love this. Ignorance is not a crime but c’mon cops! You surely must have been versed on the law in NY???!
Re-posted with credit on http://www.internationalyn.org
Cut the cops a bit of slack. With all the things they have to know, what to do with a topless woman is pretty far down their priority list – it’s hardly surprising their training doesn’t heavy-up on such areas. They made the same mistake the original complainants did, bodily exposure is ‘wrong’. At least the police were civil and temperate enough to check rather than over-react.
Reblogged this on clothes free life and commented:
A whimsical and legally correct response to NYC police who did not get the memo
OMG, there’s a topless man in one of your photos! He should cover up, because … nipples.
Reblogged this on Naturalian's Blog and commented:
Liberty wins out!
It’s not the police so much as the people making the complaint. They aren’t being educated. Maybe you need to get in touch with the authorities so that when a call is made to the police, the despatcher informs the complainant rather than sending officers?
We talk to the authorities from time to time, but their job is to investigate and respond to complaints. When a complainant calls in, she’s as likely as not to say something like, “There are people lying naked in the park!” And if we were fully naked, that would be something the police might be obliged to investigate. So there’s only so much they or we can do. Yes, it would be better if the operator said, on the phone, “Do you mean naked or just topless, ma’am? Because it’s legal for women to go topless in New York.” But expecting that much from a 911 phone operator who really just wants to get off the line ASAP, to free it up for something more important, is probably unrealistic.
Some days are better than other.
This day seem to be one of these days where you had to have to think a bit before you convince yourself it was really a brilliant day in disguise.
The serving forces got one step closer to dismiss future complainants the second they pick up their phones, which will hopefully lead to society in turn distance itself further from the Edwardian Era and the bodyscare (it’s called Kropsforskrækket in Danish.
Not sure it translates well)
You handled it great.
Personally I’d have started out by telling the officers that I’m sorry someone got offended by the human anatomy and hope they would grow up fast.
Then tell the police that if anyone has complaints they’d be welcome to address them to me directly instead of distracting the police from more urgent matters.
Then point out that it was also illegal for men to be topless until up about 80 years ago.
Then that there is a law against wasting police time.
Then that there is no laws against being occupying a female body.
continue the examples at your own leisure.
Good job girls.
Hopefully some day society will take the right to have a female body for granted and think that sexism was an antic belonging to a distant past.
Tigger
I realize this doesn’t mesh exactly with this thread, but I thought you might enjoy Emily’s interview. She seems to mesh with what you’re doing.
http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a16417/emily-ratajkowski-interview/
My wife and I decided to celebrate the 4th at a clothing optional beach; we got a little turned around looking for the parking lot and asked an older Park Ranger where the entrance was. With a twinkle in his eye he said “if you’re looking for the clothing optional beach, you’re almost there!” and he seemed very happy to guide us on our way. Happy 4th (belated) ya’all!
The cops really should have found real offenders to go after instead of trying to cite a group of women who have the right to sunbathe topless as men do.BesidesWomen sunbathing topless in New York is LEGAL (Been legal since July 8,1992)
One _does have to know the law_ to enforce it. Period. All these badges, guns and other paraphernalia ain’t worth it’s weight in shit unless backed up by education and knowledge.
Unfortunately the misuse of power usually results in lawsuits against PD and the City and damages are ultimately paid out of taxpayers money, meaning our own pocket. It is pretty sad state of events with no “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Educating one cop at a time is a noble cause, however might take a while.
Other than that – it was a great day for practicing liberty, carry on ladies!!