Go Topless Day started after the arrest of a topless activist Phoenix Feeley in 2005, who was arrested for walking topless in public in New York. And did you know that roaming around New York topless is 100% legal? Definitely yes, it is!
The Go Topless organization was founded in 2007 and attempts to defend women’s constitutional right to be bare-chested in public, as men can. Go Topless Day encourages women to support gender equality and to march through Manhattan without their tops with pride.
Even though toplessness is legal, police always block off the parade route for safety reasons. No matter if you are a man or a woman, join the parade, taking place on the Sunday closest to August 26.
Similar parades are held not only in Manhattan but also in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and other US cities.
The parade usually starts at about noon and arrives at Bryant Park where the day continues with speeches and other social events.