Vancouver Women Go Topless, Claim Gender Equality
Over 50 women walked downtown in Vancouver this Sunday with no clothes covering their upper body. The march was a campaign for gender equality.
GoTopless, as the name suggests, is a campaign that encourages female activists to go topless in a rally organised by the women's organisation. The group is fighting for equal rights in terms of going topless in public. If the organisers are to be believed, similar marches took place all over the world in 45 more cities.
Denise Belisle informed that it is legal to go topless in BC. She finds it wonderful to have the right to enjoy the kind of equality. The GoTopless spokeswoman, while talking to the crowd that followed the rally capturing innumerable images of the same, further added that respect is what they ask for from society. They seek respect from each one that belongs to the society, she said.
The topless female march also had 30 men who joined them on Sunday. The men were wearing bras as a means of showing their support for the cause. Bruce Wildorn was one of those supportive men. He removed his shirt to go topless. However, he put tapes on his nipples while marching alongside other topless women.
Mr Wildorn does not believe in double standards, it seems. He is certain of the demand that women should have equal rights to go topless. Every woman should have the option to go topless if she wants to. The option is available in Vancouver, which he finds great. On the other hand, he feels that the option must be made available everywhere.
There were some other men who followed the topless rally as spectators. Ms Belisle feels that the march is educational for men. They must learn to show more respect to women. There are many a city which bans being topless. Thus, it does not show any equality to both the genders.
Earlier, Lori Welbourne went topless while taking an interview of Walter Gray - the Kelowna mayor. She is a radio show anchor and columnist in Vancouver. She asked the mayor whether women were legally allowed to be topless in Vancouver.
It was only in 1996 when Canadian women won their rights of baring the breasts publicly. The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the Gwen Jacobs conviction that had happened in 1991. The court said that it was neither dehumanising nor degrading on Ms Jacobs' part to go topless in public.