Exposing the Double Standard

I recently made a short video, shall we say public service announcement (PSA), that addresses the double standard of nudity in the place where I currently live - Marin County, California.  This problem is by no means unique to Marin however, so I encourage you to expose the double standard if it also exists on your own community.  And chances are, it does.  It's one thing for there to be cultural preferences, but quite another if such discrimination becomes law, which is the situation that women face in most places in the United States. (In contrast, many places in Europe do not discriminate between female and male nudity under the law.)  If you happen to find out that your municipality is one of the lucky places in which there is a uniform standard of nudity, by all means test it out!  Culture will never change unless we act on our beliefs.  Here are a few tips for getting involved in this movement for women's equal rights:

• Create a culture of acceptance in your life by pushing your own boundaries.  I myself have practiced this over the years - step by small step - and believe me, it yields results!
• Contact your local officials to express concern if your community has a sexist public nudity ordinance. www.municode.com is a good place to find out about your local ordinance.
• Participate in GoTopless Day, August 28, 2016 (every year on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day). www.gotopless.org has more information.  If no events are listed for your area, you can easily organize one with their support.  
• Support the #Free the Nipple campaign and watch the film (available on Netflix).  Visit www.freethenipple.com for more information.
• Enlist some friends and get creative!  Remember that all of us are co-creators of culture, whether by action or inaction.

My 2014 Topfree Log!

I decided to keep log of my topfree pursuits this year, both to embolden myself and to inspire others as to what might be possible if we push the cultural envelope.  I only logged those times in which I was topfree, and not completely nude (e.g. at a hot springs where everyone else is nude), because these are two different issues politically, and I am mostly interested in gender equality.  By that I simply mean equal rights, regardless of what body one is born into.  I included acts of topfreedom which felt courageous, where the possibility of being discovered existed, even if no one actually did see me.  I did not include being topless inside my own house.  Sometimes I was with friends; oftentimes I was alone. 

There were at least 65 separate occasions during the 2014 calendar year in which I was bare-chested.  It bears mentioning that in only one of these incidents did I witness any negative reaction, and in every case I felt better than if I had not allowed myself to be daring. 

Please read and be inspired, and by all means, encourage the women in your life to do the same!  All of us are drops of water that make up the ocean of culture, and we are powerful enough to create a tide together.

My 2014 Topfree Log
(Note: "change shirt" = changing of shirt done in relaxed fashion; not hurrying as if it is wrong to expose my breasts.  All locations in California unless otherwise noted. )
1/14: change shirt at bike rack in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco 
1/21: change shirt on classroom floor at fitmob HQ, San Francisco
1/23: change shirt on classroom floor, Women's Building, San Francisco
1/29: mixed gender spa, Dhyana Center, Sebastopol
1/31: (1) hiking at Ragel Ranch and, (2) in yard of multi-unit dwelling, Sebastopol
2/13: on sidewalk at 19th & Valencia, San Francisco
3/1: change shirt on ball field, Fairfax
3/5: change shirt at White Hill Middle School, Fairfax
3/7: yard of friends' house, San Anselmo
3/8: Point Reyes Beach
3/10: (1) front porch of friends' house and, (2) hike in Deer Park, Fairfax
3/11: (1) change shirt at ultimate frisbee game, Novato, and (2) front porch of friends' house, Fairfax
3/12: Kirby Cove, Marin Headlands
3/15: Cascade Canyon Open Space, Fairfax
4/7: park in Larkspur Landing
4/10: yard of multi-unit dwelling, Fairfax
4/29: trail off of Highway 1, Stinson Beach
4/30: (1) topless tea party on front deck of multi-unit dwelling and, (2) outdoor nap, Bolinas
5/7: change shirt at Old Mill Park, Mill Valley
5/26: Indian Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore
5/29: Hiking at Harbin Hot Springs, Middletown
6/8: Drake's Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore
6/20: beach at Giacomini Wetlands, Point Reyes Station
7/2 - 7/6: various occasions at the Rainbow Gathering, Utah
7/9: Stinson Beach
7/14: Shell Beach, Inverness
7/15: hiking in Woodacre
7/24 - 7/25: beach in Bolinas
7/26: San Anselmo Creek, Fairfax
7/30: Shell Beach, Inverness
8/1: outdoor shower, Point Reyes North Beach
8/3: trails of Manor Hill & Cascade Canyon Open Space, Fairfax
8/11: Ross Valley Crossfit parking lot, San Anselmo
8/15: Fallen Leaf Lake, Tahoe
8/24 - 8/25: Dance New England (DNE), Freedom, New Hampshire
8/27: ultimate frisbee game (DNE), Freedom, NH
8/30: dance floor (DNE), Freedom, NH
9/3: change shirt at Willowell Farm, Monkton, Vermont
9/4 - 9/5: Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vermont
9/7: Appalachian Trail, Mt. Bromley, Vermont
9/8: Bicycle Causeway, bike path and beaches, Lake Champlain, Vermont
9/9: Hedgehog Trail to Burnt Rock Mt, Vermont
9/10: Leddy Beach, Burlington, Vermont
9/25: open space above Bennett House, Fairfax
9/26: change shirt at Ecstatic Downtemple, Fairfax
9/28: beach in Bolinas
10/12: change shirt at Burning Man Decompression, San Francisco
10/28: highway and parking lots at Davenport & San Gregorio State Beach
11/5: highway and Gray Whale Cove
11/14: change shirt on classroom floor at Body Kinetics gym, San Rafael
11/25 - 11/26: camp site & main lawn, Saline Valley Warm Springs, Death Valley
12/21: flash at Solstice gathering, Heart Space, Fairfax
12/23: Giacomini Open Space, Forest Knolls