Students Stages a Topless “Free the Nipple” Sit-In at UCSD

A crowd of female UC San Diego students took off their shirts and bras and hung around a grassy quad with their breasts exposed Wednesday in a protest against indecency laws. [11] The coeds were joined by male students as well in a 30-minute demonstration dubbed “Free The Nipple.” Dozens of students took part. Organizers provided snacks, water, music, body paint and masks for “those who want to participate but conceal their identity,” according to an event flier. [11] The rally took place on a campus that neighbors a public beach that allows nudity. The sit-in was advertised as a chance to challenge “social norms and show everyone that changing the world is as simple as taking off our shirts.” [11]  In a way, this is harmless, I mean if women want to go around topless I won’t argue LMAO! But there is a time and a place for such activities. [5] For example, common sense would be  against young children being exposed to this. This behavior has a good chance of turning into a full blown orgy and presents the opportunity for drunken Frat members to get totally out of control and we really don’t want that now, do we? [5] Not to mention, aren’t these young adults attending these universities for the purpose of educating themselves in preparation for entering the real world where you have a career- a profession such as becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a scientist? This seems to me to be a total waste of time frankly. [5]  The organizer Anni Ma described her event as a “topless movement.” She told local ABC affiliate 10 News that it’s about “equality,” and that her purpose in exposing female chests is to make the world a “better place.” [14] She said, “It felt, actually, really normal, and everyone just did it and it wasn’t a big deal, like, that’s how I felt.”  10 News reported that public nudity does violate San Diego municipal codes and the UCSD student code of conduct, but the University told the news outlet that they support the students’ rights on the basis of the First Amendment. [14] Ma added her breasts aren’t “sex organs,” so they should not be regulated by indecency laws. [11] Various images from Wednesday’s protest show many students took off their shirts and were naked from the waist up. Others kept their bras on or covered their nipples with body paint. Phrases such as “still not asking for it” and “TITS: Sorry, did I offend you?” could be seen on signs and backsides. Some students remained dressed but hung out with demonstrators in solidarity with their cause. [11]

A May 6 Twitter post read:

#FreeTheNipple Movement @UCSD May 20th Wednesday 12pm. pic.twitter.com/WM274XSL29

— Anni Ma (@AnniMa1016) May 20, 2015

The hot season is back and chances are that we will see more of this kind of idiotic naked protest in the days to come.  In early May, eyes were on the University for a naked final exam required as part of a class in the school’s visual arts department. In March, UC students stripped down at a UC Regents meeting to protest tuition hikes.   Aubrey Oxley, a junior at Thurgood Marshall College, told the UCSD Guardian that she believes the movement began at a 2014 Topless March in New York City.  However similar protests date much further back. In 2011 James Rich, led topless women at Venice Beach under the “Go Topless Day” protest for “equal rights,” according to the Huffington Post. [16] “Free your breasts, free your mind” was chanted at a 2009 Go Topless Day event at the same location reported L.A. Weekly. [18] Such protests harken back to the 1970s and displays of public nudity in political and social protests. On Thursday, topless protesters in San Francisco shut down traffic as part of “Black Lives Matter” protests, Gateway Pundit reported. [17] The rally was organized under the premise of protesting police brutality against black women and transgender women. Rows of topless women in San Francisco’s financial district appeared in pictures tweeted out with the hashtag #SayHerName. Chants in one video posted included, “Who taught you to love yourself?” with the responding chant: “Black women.”  Three naked protesters were arrested in San Francisco in February, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. [13] “We used to be considered the kinkiest city in the country–and I mean that in a good way: sexual freedom, public nudity,” said veteran nudity protester George Davis regarding a recent city nudity ban.  [13] Similarly, 30 naked bikers in San Francisco joined in a sixth annual World Naked Bike Ride in March protesting world dependence on oil, DailyMail reported. [15] A May 19 post to a Facebook account for Anni Ma read in part, “I can’t wait to share awkward, yet unforgettable moments with everyone during this social experiment…Let’s have compelling discussions and open our minds to new feelings, ideas, and experiences.”