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 protest is one of many across the nation organized by GoTopless.org, a U.K.-based website.

“We just want to raise awareness about this inequality,” said Livienne Love, the local protest organizer. “I know that women may be uncomfortable doing this, and that’s part of the issue.”

While they may be uncomfortable, they won’t be breaking the law, according to Police Department spokesman Wally Welch. “They can breast away,” said Lt. Welch. “It’s not a crime.”

The North Carolina statute that covers indecent exposure bans the exposure of “private parts,” specifically “external organs of sex or excretion.” That only covers body parts below the waist, Welch said.

The event is set for 1 p.m. Sunday. Women are asked to show up to the protest topless, while men are asked to appear shirtless but wearing either a bra or a bikini top.

According to the GoTopless.org website, “As long as men can go topless, women should have the same constitutional right, or men should also be forced to wear something that hides their chests.”

The biggest flap from the event may arise from its timing — Gateway Christian Community Church will also be in the park Sunday conducting its regular services, according to Jon Fillman, who coordinates outdoor special events for the city.

He allowed that it “could be an interesting combination of people.”
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