Re: Topfree issue in Moscow, few words more

["Muscovites for Equal Rights" <wearemuscovitesforequalrights@hotmail.com>]

Wow! So much to reply to.  I'll try to keep this short.  It comes down to 
what Lucy Zoe asked and Ken Shepherd stated.

All Lucy's questions deserve an answer.  Why are women still dealing with 
men's abuse?  That is nauseating and a sorry sign of our lack of compassion. 
  I encourage dialogue and action to fight this.

The ordinance is a trivial issue on the surface, but it symbolizes the way 
we regard women.  It is a continuation of men's attempt to suppress women.  
To keep them shameful and intimidated.  This is not about having topfree 
women roaming around town.  This is about standing up to men's subjugation 
of women.  This is about publicizing to the world that this sorry attitude 
can be challenged and hopefully changed.

Lucy, this is exactly about changing the way men view women.  The "right to 
go topless" means the right to be valued as an individual and not be subject 
to men's dominion.

This is a big issue, Ken.  We are known internationally because of this.  We 
have the opportunity to educate the public.  We have the opportunity to set 
a precedent.  If people understand our message, that it is unacceptable to 
continue men's domination over women, we feel like this work is worth it.

The language of this law is simple: A woman faces a $500 or 6 months in jail 
for exposing her breasts in public view.  This means her private property, 
including her home, if she is in public view.

This law is ridiculous and needs to be challenged.  It won't just "go away." 
  Since our city council is unwilling to rewrite this law so it is more 
acceptable, we have to waste our time collecting signatures and responding 
to emails.  We have a limited time to do this, so we are exercising our 
right to petition the government regarding our grievance now.  This is 
democracy.

Ken may want women to have an allure over him by keeping their breasts 
covered.  I'm sorry he found the pictures on this web site nauseating.  They 
were real women, though.  Perhaps not the cut-outs he was hoping for.

Kacey, this is about equal rights.  As Tom says, the ability to choose 
equally.  The notion that a man can be topfree while a women does not have 
that option seems ridiculous.

All these arguments have not really given a reason why topfree women are 
such a threat.  Particularly women on their private property, minding their 
own business.

It would be so much easier to ignore this issue, to not talk about the role 
men have given women.  However, I believe that societies can evolve and 
overcome sexism, racism and our general lack of compassion towards our home.

Peace from Garrett

>From: Ken Shepherd <kenshepherd1979@yahoo.com>
>To: Debbie Gray <dgray@uidaho.edu>,  Muscovites for Equal Rights 
><wearemuscovitesforequalrights@hotmail.com>
>CC: Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Subject: Re: Topless issue in Moscow, few words more
>Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 11:24:59 -0700 (PDT)
>
>
>I'm sure your "dirty old man" demographic among the senior citizens will go 
>overwhelmingly in favor of toplessness.
>
>It is amusing that it takes an issue like this to get folks involved in 
>local issues.  If something like this happened in my town, I'm sure we'd 
>get a surge in interest for a few weeks and then it would go away.
>
>If you all are able to mobilize your student population to care about 
>politics in general and local issues specifically, more power to you.
>
>--Ken Shepherd
>
>   College Park, MD
>
>
>
>
>
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