Hundreds Turn Out For Topless Protest In Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A few hundred people showed up in Gold Medal Park in Minneapolis Sunday afternoon for a "go topless" rally.
The Go Topless Minneapolis event began at 4 p.m. in Gold Medal Park along the Mississippi River. More than 2,000 people RSVP'd to the event via a Facebook page.
Several women bared their chests, to protest what they consider inequality. The group behind the event says that if men are allowed to show their chests in public, women should have the same right. They argue that men fought for this freedom in the 1930s and that it should apply to everyone.
"This is not a best body contest...this is for EQUALITY," the group's Facebook page said. "Let's use what we got and tear down this patriarchy."
There were even men taking part in the event by wearing bikini tops or similar clothing to show how "stupid this double standard truly is."
On the Facebook page, the group says minors were not invited, and that attendees were asked to show identification. Women are also warned that fully exposing their breasts may get them in trouble with authorities.
Organizers say indecency laws criminalize women who go topless in public, while those same laws do not apply to men.
"The majority of questions I got were 'What about the men that came here to be perverts?'" event organizer Faith Neumann said. "I detest it, because that's a rape culture. I'm not going to cover up, or not, based on somebody else's perceptions or intentions. I can't control them, and that's going to happen regardless."
Neumann said the goal is to establish equal topless rights across the United States by 2020. She says she plans to hold other rallies in the future.