Venice Beach, CA GoTopless Pride Parade to mark 8th Annual GoTopless Day on Aug. 23

News provided by

Jul 28, 2015, 10:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, July 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On August 23, the women's rights organization GoTopless will hold Go Topless Pride Parades and other events in Los Angeles, New York and over 60 other cities worldwide for the 8th annual GoTopless Day, according to a statement released today by GoTopless.

"We're working toward freeing women's nipples and obtaining equal gender topless rights that are enforced worldwide," said GoTopless Spokesperson Lara Terstenjak, who leads the organization's L.A. branch.

She said the Los Angeles Pride Parade, produced by L.A.-based Cosmic Carnival, will feature topless acrobats, stilt walkers and performers. It will begin at Navy St./Boardwalk and conclude on Windward Circle with speeches about topless equality and the ERA. A pre-rally party extravaganza, also produced by PhenoVibe's Cosmic Carnival, will precede the parade on Fri., Aug. 21, in West Los Angeles. That event will include a showing of the movie "Free the Nipple."

In April, Venice Neighborhood Council Community Officer Melissa Diner sponsored a resolution that would allow women equal topless rights on Venice Beach. It was adopted by a 12-2 vote, but still requires county and city approval before it can go into effect. That could take time.

"The Venice Neighborhood Council's approval is a hopeful step forward after our 8 years of activism on Venice Beach," Terstenjak said. Now it's time for the city and county to follow up by making equal gender topless rights a priority!"

Meanwhile, she added, GoTopless is inviting both men and women to "stand up with topless pride" on Aug. 23 to honor the 95th anniversary of Women's Equality Day and to support the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

"Around the world, gender inequality over the centuries, including exclusively male leadership, caused imbalances that could destroy society," Terstenjak said. "Spiritual leader Maitreya Rael says society can be preserved only when there's absolute equality between men and women."

Enforcement of equal topless rights is a crucial aspect of gender equality, she explained.

"Scientific evidence shows that banning female toplessness damages brain pathways in women and girls," Terstenjak said. "We're inviting women to free their bodies from repression and recover their self-esteem. Freeing the nipples frees minds!"

SOURCE GoTopless