A letter, “Like women, men should keep tops on,” (Aug. 1), lamented public toplessness on the part of men and asked why men can go around half-naked while women who do the same get arrested. Good question. The writer goes on to state that the law should be the same for both sexes. Indeed it should, and is. 

In nearly all states, including Connecticut, it is not illegal for women to go topless. In a well-known 1992 case, New York's highest court overturned the convictions of a group of women who had gone topless in Central Park. The court's reasoning the law should be the same for both sexes. New York City's police force is now regularly reminded not to arrest topless women as the city has had to pay damages to wrongfully-arrested women. 

Of course, local ordinances are somewhat less enlightened, so the threat of arrest is real, but I believe that women who challenge those arrests in court are likely to prevail. There is even an organization (gotopless.org) that advocates for the right of women to go topless, and it turns out that Aug. 23 is International Go Topless Day. As a man who sometimes enjoys going shirtless in summer, I say to the women of southeastern Connecticut, liberate thyselves, remove those shirts and celebrate equality.

Gary Burfoot

Groton