Colorado Women Fight For The Right To ‘Free The Nipple’


There is an ordinance in Fort Collins, Colorado barring women from exposing their breasts in public. According to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Denver, this ordinance is sexist and unconstitutional.

“Free the Nipple” is a group fighting for gender equality. The 12-page lawsuit was filed by the group’s founders, Brittiany Hoagland and Samantha Six. They appeared at a press conference to announce the lawsuit wearing t-shirts with pictures of exposed breasts on them.

Last October, the City Council rejected their idea, but they did adjust the existing law. Women are allowed to show some of their breast if they are breastfeeding. The law defines breast as the area above the nipple.

Over 75 years ago, it became legal for men to be shirtless in public. After lots of protests and arrests, men were finally allowed to be “topless” in public in 1936. Today, 37 states will arrest women for the same thing.

Hoagland and Six believe that their city’s regulations violate the free speech clause of the First Amendment and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Hoagland said:

“Hey, my body is not indecent if his is not indecent.”

It is a $250 fine for a woman over the age of 10 to expose her breasts. That part also seems odd. What about early bloomers? Who came up with the age cutoff?

Since the ordinance actually has the language saying “women are prohibited from…” The law should be unconstitutional, according to the lawsuit. The same women fought a $150 fine for exposing their breasts at a “Go Topless Day” protest in 2014. There was also a film called “Free The Nipple” made the same year which explored this topic.

Hoagland said:

“It’s great to know that we’re finally on the first steps to getting justice. We should be treated equally in the eyes of the law, and that’s men, women, LGBTQAA — that’s everybody.”

Hopefully, the ban will get struck down. Women’s breasts should not be illegal.

Featured image screengrab via YouTube.

Hi, I'm from Huntsville, AL. I'm a Liberal living in the Bible Belt, which can be quite challenging at times. I'm passionate about many issues including mental health, women's rights, gay rights, and many others. Check out my blog weneedtotalkaboutmentalhealth.com