Mastrophobes Outraged Over Topless Tuesdays

May 13, 2010 by Ian
Filed under: Issues, Living Free, News, Personal Freedom, Update

Four local women decided to go topless for this week’s Topless Tuesday, and there has been much outrage. It’s sad how intolerant people are of the human body and how repressed they are, still, by the puritanical past of this country. It’s also sad, how inconsistent they are – if men can go topless, why not women? If you have a problem with female toplessness, it’s all in your head. Humans are beautiful creatures, and should not be ashamed of themselves. This situation continues to develop, as Topless Tuesdays is intended to continue all summer long thanks to the heroic ladies who are standing up for equality! If you are offended by this event, you need to look inside yourself for the problem. This is about freedom and equality.

UPDATE: The picture in this post was taken by an anonymous photographer who sent us this censored version. I’m attempting to get the uncensored original, but I found it interesting the photographer censored ALL the nipples, including the males. Finally, in case you didn’t google it, Mastrophobia is fear of breasts.

Here’s the Sentinel story in full, but please click to read it on their site until they put it behind the paywall. As usual, the comments section is full of vitriol, ignorance, intolerance, and anger. Let them know how YOU feel. Here’s the article from the Keene Sentinel’s Phil Bantz:

Douglas Foster got an eyeful during his ride home from Keene Middle School on Tuesday afternoon.

Looking through a school bus window, the 12-year-old saw topless women standing in Central Square.

“My son came home and said, ‘Mom, have you seen what’s going on downtown?’ ” said Erin Foster, a Keene resident. “He said there were women downtown who have their tops off. I actually didn’t believe him. I had to see for myself.”

Foster rushed downtown in her car and, sure enough, there they were: women baring their breasts in public.

“I was irate,” Foster said. “My son can’t go into a store and buy a pornographic magazine, yet he can hop on his bike and go downtown.”

This was the second installment of a demonstration dubbed “Topless Tuesdays.” Many of the participants are affiliated with the Free State Project or an offshoot group called Free Keene.

After confirming her son’s report, Foster approached a city police officer who was patrolling the area and asked why the topless women weren’t being arrested.

“He told me breasts are not genitalia,” she said.

Going topless in Keene, and many other municipalities in the state, is not a crime.

An 18-year-old Free State Project member, Cassidy Nicosia, proved that point last August, when she strolled through downtown Keene topless and with a gun holstered to her hip.

Nicosia was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and lewdness, but prosecutors dropped the charges.

Under New Hampshire law, a person can be charged with indecent exposure and lewdness only if he or she exposes genitals, has sex in public, or performs any other “act of gross lewdness … likely to cause affront or alarm.”

However, towns and cities may enact ordinances that prohibit women from going topless in public. Keene has no such ordinance, but Foster is planning to change that if “Topless Tuesdays” continue.

After speaking with the city officer, Foster said she collected about 45 signatures from other residents who were walking downtown and decided they wanted to put an end to the topless demonstrations.

Douglas helped her gather signatures for a petition to enact a city ordinance banning the baring of breasts in public, Foster said. Douglas was worried that his 6-year-old brother would also be exposed to the situation, she said.

Foster said she supports the women’s right to demonstrate and go topless. She just doesn’t want it happening when her children are around.

“My biggest issue is that they were doing it when middle school let out,” she said. “I could respect what they’re doing, but they need to respect my family.”

Brodie

<blockquote cite="">Get back in the kitchen and put that burkah on!

Who here has suggested that women are inferior? Who here thinks there should be "public" property? The only reason this is an issue is because it is public property.

<blockquote cite="">But Joe, your activism should revolve around what *I* consider important!

I would think adults would have mature discussions about what should be the priorities for bringing about liberty. I have yet to really see my point addressed, which is that women going topless in public is really a pretty moot point, because once all is said and done, probably few women will do it anyways, and those that do will probably do it rarely. So if your priorities are to make a big stink about something pretty trivial (in that it is a liberty that would be rarely exercised, and not exercised at all in a free society), be my guest. Just don't expect my support.
http://freetalklive.com/ Ian

Seems like the prudes are the ones making a stink. We're just enjoying a nice day in the park.
MaineShark

"Who here has suggested that women are inferior?"

Anyone suggesting that women should be under some obligation that men are not. Both have breasts. Both have nipples. If women are to be required to cover theirs, then something is being taken from them; they are being made less than men.

"I have yet to really see my point addressed, which is that women going topless in public is really a pretty moot point, because once all is said and done, probably few women will do it anyways, and those that do will probably do it rarely."

Your baseless assumptions as to how many will do it are moot.

Many men go topless in the summer. Eventually, I expect that just as many women will. Maybe a bit less (women with large breasts often want the support of a bra, even if they don't care about exposure). Maybe a bit more (women who wear a bra all day at work may want to go unfettered as a way of relaxing). I can't think of any rational reason to imagine that women would be any different from men in regards to exposing their chests, absent restrictions.
Rheannon

I guess I just don't understand the point? The free stater group has already polluted what used to be a beautiful common with their pointless protests to legalize marijuana. When are you guys going to understand that what your doing is pointless, it sends no positive messages what so ever. You want to smoke pot and play with breasts stay home, get high and watch some red tube. I am a respectful women that believes the human body is beatiful but my 11 year old nephew does not need to see a guy fondeling his girlfriends bare breasts on the common after school. Explain to me what is the point? The only thing being accomplished is convincing the citizens of Keene that your group is even more immature and pointless than we all already thought you were. Get a real cause already and stop harassing the cops who can't change a thing! For politcal activists you guys sure are pathetic!!!
Brodie

<blockquote cite="">I can’t think of any rational reason to imagine that women would be any different from men in regards to exposing their chests,

Because it can hurt. And again, in a free society, it would be a moot point, because there is no public property in a free society. This is not about liberty. It is about trying to change societal norms, nothing else. Don't deceive yourselves into thinking this is about liberty.
MaineShark

@Rheannon:

How can a protest with the intent of ending marijuana prohibition be pointless? You know, when you mention the point of the protest in your description?

Do you think before you type these things?

@Brodie:

"Because it can hurt."

What can hurt whom, exactly? Other than that guy in Britain who got suffocated by his girlfriend's breasts during sex, I can't think of a case where exposed breasts hurt anyone…

"This is not about liberty. It is about trying to change societal norms, nothing else. Don’t deceive yourselves into thinking this is about liberty."

Liberty is not politics only. Anti-liberty societal behaviors are anti-liberty, and deserve to be addressed by liberty activists. For example, I would defend a "white power" group's right to hold a protest in the same place. But I would also be there protesting against them, most likely. The "societal norm" they support is anti-liberty, and I would oppose it, peacefully.
http://www.topfree.ca Paul Rapoport

The organization whose site I run supports all reasonable attempts at topfree equality for women, as Cassidy and others know. We've been around for 13 years.

Good luck.

(No offence, but it's "Mastophobia.")
bil

On occasion,I support a site that also advocates the right of women to be topless in public.However,I don't require that others also look,willing or not.Do people really feel this is a big issue in this country,or is it just something else to make the average citizen upset with any cause associated with it? Sometimes I am reminded of the old police game during the student anti-war protests,infiltrate and discredit. —bil
MaineShark

Who's requiring anyone to look?

That's just asinine.
Justen

I will reiterate……there is absolute right and absolute wrong…….this is wrong

There is reasoned ethical argument and there is unsupported unilateral declaration of morality. This is unsupported unilateral declaration of morality.

I find unsupported unilateral declarations of morality indecent – and worse yet dangerous. Please refrain from doing dangerous, indecent things like this in the future, for the sake of the children if not for my sake. Thank you for your peaceful cooperation.
Mortimer

Without arguing the case either way, that baring of breasts in public is good or bad, or whether 'people are beautiful', I must say I find this group of folks perhaps the upgliest group of folks I can recall in the near past. Just plain fugly. Pleeeease, go home, wash up, exercise, be good to yourselves…
Ignorant Asshole

"Who’s requiring anyone to look?"

Your choice of location is forcing many to look.

I can't help wondering why nobody is commenting on Matt's comment:

"The young girl on the far left next to Richard Paul is ONLY 16!!!!!!"

Does nobody care that children are not only being exposed to this, they are also being exposed IN this???

Maybe I AM just an ignorant asshole………….
MaineShark

"Does nobody care that children are not only being exposed to this, they are also being exposed IN this???

Maybe I AM just an ignorant asshole…………."

You said it.

It's her body. And it's up to you to prove that she's actually a child. I've met 16-year-old adults, a number of times. I've met 40-, 50-, and 60-year-old children too many times to count.
Ignorant Asshole

I've met her, and she's no adult. Did anyone bother to ask her age? Or were they too busy objectifying her body to care. Sad day when your cause depends on half naked children.
MaineShark

"I’ve met her, and she’s no adult."

Given all that I know of you from your posts here, I doubt you're in a position to make such a determination.

"Did anyone bother to ask her age? Or were they too busy objectifying her body to care."

Yes, because that's the only reason someone might not ask her age. The fact that it's none of their business couldn't possibly factor into it, eh?

Folks who are are all "on" about "social mores" should probably understand that asking women their age is generally frowned-upon in this culture.

"Sad day when your cause depends on half naked children."

Sad day when that's all some prevert can see.
http://freetalklive.com/ Ian Freeman

Kate has more courage than most people could only dream of. Who cares how old she is? She is brave and bold. I'm proud to know her.
Brodie

So anyways, someone was saying how they knew so many women that would like to go around topless. And so far, the most women that have been out topless, in a town of I would guess 10,000 adult women, were 4, and then this week there were none. So far, it does not seem to be a very important issue for most women to me. I could be wrong.
bil

I counted 2,but that was just at my house.I am sure there were others if you know where to look.Try Keene State on Friday night,always something going on there.:) —bil
Dan

16 is legal here in Britain, so I have no problem with it. No point to your arguing anyway, you can't change eachothers /opinions/.
kim walsh

Brests, tits, boobs what ever you want to call it. Boobs are sexual objects. In a porn in mostly all porns you see a man sucking and licking a womens brest and she is moaning in pleasure. You dont see the women sucking or licking a mans nipples or breasts. Women are able to feed there young not men women we are not equal we are different and is that so bad. Perhaps Gwen is a women wanting to be a man therefore fighting for topless equality. Breasts are different and unique no two are the same and bare breasts bouncing down the street are hard not to notice and make people uncomfortable because they are and always will be sexual. so people stop being so rediculous and just admit men like breasts and women like the attention they receive from there breasts. as well as the pleasure felt during sex when attention is paid to them.
MaineShark

Yeah… no men like having women play with their nipples. Someone's totally lacking in knowledge of human sexuality.

Male and female breasts are biologically identical. All the same structures are there. Give a man hormones, and his will start lactating. A woman lacking the proper hormonal balance will not lactate.

Breasts are breasts, whether on a male or a female. The only difference is that the average female breasts is larger than the average male breast. Just like an average male is taller than an average female. Should tall people be banned?
bil

Just remember that most of those porn people are trained actors.A lot of what seems like moans of pleasure are groans of pain.After working with some of the people from Vivid Video on a documentary on the porn industry,you see it is not all fun and games.But breasts are certainly considered sexual objects in this society,like it or not. —bil
http://gibson.mp/ gibson042

I don't know, maybe kim walsh has a point about women's breasts always being sexual. That's why South American/African/Papuan/Australian/etc. tribes have such strict rules about covering them except in intimate situations.

<a href="http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&q=amazon+OR+papua+native+tribe+family" rel="nofollow">… or not.