ABOUT TWO DOZEN women went topless in a park in New York City yesterday – in a protest hoping to draw attention to the inequal treatment of topless men and women.

The demonstration, to mark what the participants called ‘National Go-Topless Day’, was to draw attention to the fact that it is considered acceptable for men to appear topless in public places, but women are not afforded the same freedom.

The women assembled in Bryant Park in central Manhattan before taking their tops off and unveiling placards in their cause.

Organiser Karen Heaven – who Reuters said was ‘wearing white pants and not much else, besides a purse over her shoulder’ – told the agency: “We say there is nothing wrong with the female nipple.”

She added that similar protests were scheduled for other cities in the US and worldwide, though it was not clear whether those protests were also due to take place yesterday.

Reuters said the demonstration was followed by a rendition of the Beatles classic ‘Let It Be’ – though with the chorus line amended to ‘Let ‘em breathe’.

The protestors claimed their point was augmented by the fact that a significant number of men were sunbathing topless in the park at the time of the event, which coincided with a hot summer’s day in New York.

While the female demonstrators’ activities prompted many to take photos on their phones, no such attention was paid to the men.

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