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In 6 States, #FreeTheNipple Spurs Reversal on Topless Ban

Federal court nixes prohibition on women going without shirts in Colorado, 5 other states
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 20, 2019 11:00 AM CDT
In 6 States, #FreeTheNipple Spurs Reversal on Topless Ban
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/DeanDrobot)

Two women sued the city of Fort Collins, Colo., for the right to go topless. Now, six states in total will reap the benefits of their ban-busting efforts after a federal appeals court overturned the city's prohibition on women sans shirts and the city opted not to appeal. KUTV reports that not only Colorado's women are now able to bare their breasts, but also those in Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma, after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the ban in Fort Collins. Because Fort Collins has no plans to challenge the appellate court ruling, which would bring the case to the Supreme Court, the nixing of the ban applies to all six states the appeals court has jurisdiction over. NBC News notes the court ruling was handed down in February, while Fort Collins just decided this month to back off the case.

The suit was originally brought by plaintiffs Brit Hoagland and Samantha Six, who say their complaint was in the name of gender equality. The women had even started a #FreeTheNipple social media campaign to bolster their stance. Not everyone—not even all women—is 100% behind the court's decision. "I do think we deserve equal rights in everything," one female Boulder resident says. "But I think if women do choose to do that, they might be asking for a little bit of trouble." Hoagland and Six disagree. "Everybody should be able to be comfortable on a hot day, and if that means taking their shirt [off], so be it," Hoagland tells KGUN 9. "No matter how you look [at it], you should have the same freedom [as] the person next to you." (More Utah stories.)

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