Go Topless Asheville: Sunday's rally and what the online world had to say
A local couple organized an event for this past Sunday, protesting women's lack of a right to go topless. When they found out above-the-waist nudity is actually legal in Asheville, they turned the event into a rally to educate local women on a right they probably didn't know they had. The rally became large enough to cause downtown traffic problems, made the AP and drew a crowd of thousands.
The Facebook event that started it all: GoTopless Asheville
The Citizen-Times carried a John Boyle cover story last Wednesday. The link to the article appeared on Twitter, and Twitter went wild. A new local hashtag was born: #avlboobs.
Topless protest set for AshevilleASHEVILLE - Female activists for gender equality plan to bare their breasts - and ask men to cover theirs - Sunday in Pack Square Park downtown. The women will be protesting what they consider unfair laws and social stigmas restricting women's right to go topless.The story was picked up by the AP and went nationwide.
NC gender equity protest urges women to go topless
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina city is one of a dozen around the country where female activists are taking a stand for the right to go topless. The protest for equity in what the two genders are allowed to show is set for Sunday at Asheville's downtown Pack Square Park.According to local media, thousands showed up, mostly to watch, with around 50 women baring their breasts. Crowds and gawkers caused a downtown traffic jam; downtown businesses saw a surge in traffic.
A local tweeter said people stood on garbage cans to catch the action. A WLOS employee tweeted that CNN wanted footage.
(Barely) WORKSAFE photoset from John Haldane. Men at the rally were encouraged to wear a bra or bikini top: if women could uncover during the event, men who supported acceptance of toplessness would cover their chest to emphasize the lack of equality in how toplessness is viewed.
- Another worksafe photoset from the Citizen-Times.
- Asheville Topless Protest 8-21-11Asheville North Carolina News - citizen-times.com is the home page of Asheville North Carolina with in depth and updated Asheville local news. Stay informed with both Asheville North Carolina news as well as headlines and stories from around the world.
- The excellent local photoblog Image Asheville was there. Link NSWF and contains breasts.
Asheville Go Topless RallyPack Square Park was crowded for Asheville's "Go Topless" rally on Sunday, August 21st. The rally started slowly but gained enough participants to fill the fountain below Vance monument before proceeding to the grassy area beneath the birch trees for a brief speech about women's rights.- Of course it made the WLOS evening news. According to WLOS, a few dozen women were there to actually take part, while hundreds showed up "to watch and take pictures."
WLOS ABC 13 News :: Top Stories - Asheville Topless ProtestDozens of women protested topless in downtown Asheville on Sunday. It was part of a nationwide movement called "Go Topless Day." Protestors said they want equality for men and women and they want it to be legal for women to be topless in public everywhere.People took video as well as pics: The Mountain Xpress video. NSFW.
Video from the GoTopless rally | Asheville News | Mountain XpressA brief video from the National GoTopless rally at Pack Square in downtown Asheville. Due to the very nature of the event, the video should be considered not safe for work. Xpress caught the early part of the event. And YouTube user Sonia Hendrix caught the post-rally march through the streets of downtown.But was the whole thing a publicity stunt for the Raelian Church, a religion that teaches that human beings were created by aliens? This SF Weekly blog post alleges that the whole series of nationwide protests that happened Sunday are Raelism publicity stunts.
Go Topless on Sunday, Then Get Abducted by Aliens: The 5 Weirdest Things About GoTopless.orgMeet the Creators of 8-Bit Saved by the Bell What could be more fun than a topless afternoon in the park for a political cause? You can protest and feel sexy at the same time. We're tempted to say it's too good to be true, but it's better than it seems. The event, this Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.- Wikipedia entry: Raelism.
Aliens. Boobs. Drums. Welcome to Asheville. What'd you think about Sunday's protest?
