Topless protest to take place in Boston Saturday in support of gender equality

Local activists and supporters of gender equality say they will go topless in Boston this Saturday to advocate for the right to equal treatment under Massachusetts law. 

The Topfreedom protest, organized in partnership between Equalititty and GoTopless, aims to challenge the Massachusetts laws that make it illegal for women to expose their breasts in public while not breastfeeding. 

“It’s not about the top; it’s about oppression,” said Katrina Brees, the co-organizer of the protest for Equalititty, in a phone call to Boston.com. 

The protest is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Boston Common starting at 1 p.m. Participants will gather at The Embrace statue and then make their way along parts of the Freedom Trail and to the Statehouse.

Organizers hope to encourage state lawmakers to end what they describe as the oppression of women’s bodies by the government. 

“As long as men are allowed to be topless in public, women should have the same constitutional right. Or else, men should have to wear something to hide their chests,” said Rael, the founder of GoTopless.org and spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement. 

Participants of all genders are encouraged to go bare-chested at the event. Those who would like to keep their tops on are also welcome. 

The event is around one week before Women’s Equality Day, on Mon. Aug. 26. 

“Many women deeply feel this oppression,” said Brees, especially during this time of year, when they are “faced at looking at man boobs all summer.” 

Brees said wearing a bra is akin to wearing a harness. For some, they become so uncomfortable that they cause chronic rashes or welts. 

“It’s really time for this,” said Brees. 

The march follows a movement on Nantucket, where residents in the winter of 2022 successfully advocated for a bylaw change to allow anyone, regardless of gender, to go topless on beaches on the island.

According to Equalititty, men acquired topless freedom in the 1930s. Only Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma, along with some other individual counties and cities, allow full topless equality. 

Equalititty.us is dedicated to ending breast-based gender discrimination through community engagement and challenges outdated laws to create a more inclusive, equitable society, the group states.

GoTopless.org advocates for body autonomy and freedom of expression. Founded in 2007, the organization has orchestrated TopFreedom protests internationally. 

Since the beginning, the women’s movement has advocated against oppressive clothing women are forced to wear, Brees said. At one time, it was long skirts that accidentally caused women to burn alive or drown, and corsets that warped women’s organs. 

“This is not a new thing,” Brees wrote via email to Boston.com. “It’s the evolution and continuation of the greater women’s liberation movement.” 

A call to Boston Police to inquire about whether BPD intends to arrest or cite topless participants at the protest was not returned by press time.