It is currently illegal for anyone who identifies as a woman to be publicly topless in Berkeley, one of the most progressive cities in the country.

Men were not allowed to bare their chest in public in the United States before the 1930’s. Then one day, they decided that the law needed to change, and they changed it. Today, there is much controversy and debate over a woman's right to do the same thing. Why?

We believe in equal rights surrounding each person's ability to make decisions about their own body. 

We are far from that ideal in this country, but this petition will be one small step towards a healthier culture for every body.

Last summer, a council item went before the City of Berkeley that would have equalized nudity laws across genders by decriminalizing the public display of female breasts. Unfortunately, the Berkeley City Council tabled it -- effectively killing it without a vote -- due to a “lack of public support.”

Your signature will help show the Council that this is a real issue that affects women, mothers, girls, genderqueer and trans people, as well as men. We are asking for support from every part of the spectrum of gender identity, age, and race. Join us in presenting the council item again and getting it to a vote before the next election!

History of toplessness laws in the Bay Area:

1. Oakland passed an ordinance on Jan. 22, 1970 prohibiting “exposure of portions of the human body in specified places.” City officials waited for Reagan to sign the Quimby-Walsh Act so they could stifle the topless -- and emerging bottomless -- craze. To this day, that ordinance is what keeps strip clubs out of Oakland.
   https://library.municode.com/ca/oakland/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT9PUPEMOWE_CH9.28NUDA
2. Berkeley passed Ord. 6446-NS § 1, 1998: Ord. 6199-NS § 1, 1993 in the 90s, and their law bans the display of "any portion of the breast at or below the areola thereof of any female person."
   http://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Berkeley/html/Berkeley13/Berkeley1332/Berkeley1332010.html
3. San Francisco passed S.F., Cal., Police Code art. 2, § 154 on Dec. 6, 2012 banning public nudity, in large response to nudity in the Castro district. Note that this ordinance does not apply to any government permitted parade, fair, or festival e.g. Folsom Street Fair, PRIDE Parade, Bay to Breakers, etc.
   http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/police/article2disorderlyconduct?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:sanfrancisco_ca$anc=JD_154

For more information about the #TopfreedomForAll movement: http://www.berkeleyside.com/2017/09/20/opinion-freethenipple-important-may-think