What nudity? Beachgoers chime in on clarified Ocean City topless ordinance

Doug Ferrar | The Daily Times

Official fears of loosed breasts and marauding crowds of young people encouraging women to "show us your ---" as if Ocean City beach was the New Orleans French Quarter during Mardi Gras didn't play out over the weekend.

Some beachgoers Sunday didn't even know about the controversy that caused the Ocean City Town Council to have an emergency session to pass an ordinance declaring that their beach wouldn't tolerate toplessness among female visitors.

"This is a family place," said Helen Robbins, 62 of Ocean Pines, who knew about the ban.

"I don't see someone running around nude," said Jules Hawkins, 49, of Philadelphia, who didn't know about the ban. "Maybe they're laying down nude."

Responding to “hundreds of calls and emails from residents and visitors, expressing their concerns over this issue,” according to Mayor Richard Meehan, the council convened at noon Saturday to discuss the problem of female toplessness on the beach.

The result was an ordinance immediately put into effect that imposes a fine of up to $1,000 for the appearance of “the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering,” the ordinance says. News stories about it circulated across the country over the weekend.

READ MORE: Ocean City council passes emergency ordinance banning nudity on beach

READ MORE: 'Ocean City is not a topless beach and will not become a topless beach,' town says

Residents and visitors taking advantage of Sunday's hot, sunny day went about the sorts of activities expected at the beach, little affected by Saturday's decision and all with appropriate tops.

Robbins, the Ocean Pines resident, was waiting on the boardwalk for her children and grandchildren to come back from getting ice cream.

"I totally support that ban," she said. "This is a family place, people want to know that it's OK to bring their kids here without that going on. It's not the place for it."

Patrick and Sophia Gray, of Baltimore, had similar sentiments, but were completely unaware of Saturday's news as they enjoyed the beach.

"There's children out here," Sophia said. "You have to respect the children."

"You've got to respect people's privacy too," Patrick added.

Neither of them knew anyone who might be likely to be offended by the ban, they said.

The controversy started last summer, when the beach patrol was contacted by an Eastern Shore resident, Chelsea Covington, who believed it was her legal right to bare her chest on the beach.

Covington is an advocate for “top freedom,” the belief that women should be able to appear topless in public, as do men.

The issue over toplessness was previously sent to Worcester County State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby, who then sent a request for an opinion from the Maryland Attorney General.

With no official word at the start of the tourism season from the state attorney general's office, the beach patrol issued a memo Tuesday, June 6, to instruct lifeguards on how to deal with a potential complaint. Basically, it said look but don't touch.

After being inundated with calls after many visitors thought Ocean City was going topless, the emergency session was held to clarify the law.

“Each year, thousands of families visit our beach to relax in an atmosphere free of this type of activity. We respect their rights,” Mayor Rick Meehan said.

“We will not allow women to be topless on our beach or on any public property within the city limits. We have never been a topless beach and we will not become a topless beach.”

Hawkins, the Philadelphia resident, was strolling the boardwalk with a friend eating ice cream Sunday. He said he doesn't visit Ocean City often, but he was unaware that there was an issue with toplessness.

"I don't venture too far out, but what I've seen I don't see nudity," he said.

He thought the problem might be younger people showing off.

"If you've got nudity, you've got kids here," he said. "You don't want that going on. If it's just adults, no big deal, but when there are kids, forget about it."

He said he could see that it would be an issue of the kind of town Ocean City wants to be. He didn't have a problem with the town trying to preserve the family atmosphere for which it is known.

Marisol Gutierrez, 19 of Gap, Pennsylvania was looking for something to eat near the pier with her friend, Martin Espinoza, 21, also of Gap. They weren't aware of the new ordinance either.

"I know some people who have undid their straps to get sun on their back," she said. "I've done that. But you can't really see. I don't get people getting upset about that."

She said she could understand why it might be an issue when small children were nearby.

"If it's just a group of girls, but when there are little kids maybe it's not such a good idea," she said.

Espinoza said he didn't know anyone who would go topless in Ocean City.

"It's not that kind of place," he said. "Maybe some beach in Florida or something but not here."

At least one visitor thought the situation that developed over the past week was comical.

Steve Lender, 29 of Bel Air, thought the situation was funny.

"I'm all for ladies showing off what they want," Lender said.

"But Ocean City is not that place. Maybe if they had a separate nude beach or something. I can't believe people would want to do that here."