Sunday is National Go Topless Day. What, your calendar wasn�t already marked?

According to GoTopless.org, the website of an organization dedicated to something that we shouldn�t need to explain, Go Topless Day �always falls at the Sunday closest to Women�s Equality Day, Aug 26. It is indeed on Aug 26, 1920 that women earned their right to vote on the basis of Gender Equality.��The organization says that �the right to go topless for women is based on gender equality as their right to vote once was.�

A map of the U.S. on the website labels Texas as a �top freedom� state and Austin as a �topless �tested'� city. Anyone who�s been around the Live Music Capital of the World for a significant amount of time knows that, yes, a bare breast isn�t much�to bat an eyelash at. Hippie Hollow, Austin�s one and only nude park, is a legendary, clothing-optional swimming spot. But that lakeside locale takes a�laissez-faire stance on�bottoms, too. Also,�there has�been more than one protest in Austin over the years that decried Texas gun laws by encouraging open shirts.

We dipped�into the Statesman archives to get the skinny on the topless rules for women and nudity in general in Austin.

� In a 2006 column, Statesman answer lady Jane Grieg told an unwilling peeping Tom with immodest�neighbors that�such�behavior is not illegal. �There is no ordinance against appearing in various stages of undress or topless at a bay window or anywhere else in Austin,� Greig wrote. �State law prohibits reckless exposure of other bodily areas (e.g., genitalia, but female breasts are not genitalia).� A 2004 article about a naked bike ride points out that Austin �has no local public nudity laws.�

� Is someone wearing body paint nude? A 2013 article about the subject as it relates to adult-oriented businesses didn�t draw a definitive conclusion:

�So would restaurant waitresses wearing only body paint run afoul of Austin�s adult-oriented businesses ordinances?�That�s a gray area. �The City of Austin has not addressed this type of situation in the past,� city spokeswoman Samantha Park said in a statement. �Every case has different circumstances, so it isn�t appropriate to speculate how we would handle a hypothetical case.'�

� A 2005 Austin Chronicle article provides a little less support for public displays of toplessness: �Public lewdness, which applies when a person intentionally commits an act of sexual contact in a public place, could also come into play if going topless leads to more heated action.� Additionally, the Chronicle pointed out that Texas courts have upheld disorderly conduct convictions for women going sans shirt.

And remember, if you�re planning on feeling your Lady Godiva fantasy this weekend, none of this serves as official legal advice.

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