Colorado town says women can’t go topless

Kevin Duggan | Fort Collins Coloradoan

Show Caption Hide Caption Colorado city: Women can't go topless in public The Fort Collins, Colorado city council voted to change city code regarding public nudity, but not to the extent that women may legally expose their breasts in parks and other public places.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A flood of public disapproval swamped the movement to allow women to go topless in public in Fort Collins.

The City Council on Tuesday voted to change city code regarding public nudity, but not to the extent that women may legally expose their breasts in parks and other public places.

Exceptions would be breastfeeding women, medical emergencies and places where nudity would be expected, such as locker rooms.

The decision came in front of a packed City Council chamber after council members heard from dozens of residents about how allowing women to go topless would damage the community and its reputation.

Some predicted that permitting exposed breasts would decrease respect toward women and potentially put them in danger. Others said men and women are equal in the eyes of the law, but they and their chests are inherently different and should be treated accordingly.

Mayor Wade Troxell said the sentiment of the community came through “loud and clear” at the meeting as well as the many emails and phone calls directed at council members.

Councilman Ray Martinez said he didn’t want to see “Fort Collins turned into a strip club.”

The measure, which was amended to prohibit exposing the breast below the top of the nipple, passed unanimously.

Fort Collins resident Rachel Dozier said if public nudity were allowed, she would have to reconsider staying the city and raising a family here. Exposure to sexually explicit material is harmful to children, she said.

She said those who believe want the “freedom” to go topless do not have a valid argument.

“Our rights and freedom are not rights to the detriment of the people around us,” she said.

The issue has been pressed by Fort Collins resident Brittiany Hoagland and others who believe the ban on women going topless is sexist. The issue is a matter of gender equality, Hoagland told council members.

Samantha Six, who wore a T-shirt stating “Free the Nipple,” said the prohibition on topless women only leads to sexualizing and degrading women. She also took issue with those who said they had moral concerns about the proposal.

“Equal but different isn’t equal,” she said. “And there isn’t room for religion in a public forum.”

An online survey posted by the city drew 8,750 responses, with 60.9% of respondents opposed to allowing women to be topless in public, but granting the exception of breastfeeding mothers, and 36.7% in support of lifting the ban.