'Free the nipple' campaigners launch legal fight to expose their breasts

An association of residents fighting for gender equality called “Free the Nipple” is suing the Colorado city of Fort Collins to allow bare breasts in public.

The group’s founder, Brittiany Hoagland, and group member, Samantha Six, filed the lawsuit to battle against what they call a “sexist” and “puritanical” ordinance which prohibits women from appearing topless.

The two women appeared at a news conference to talk about the case wearing T-shirts with an image of bare breasts across the front.

In October the city council rejected the idea that women could freely expose their breasts but they agreed to amend the law to allow breastfeeding.

The council also said it wanted to clarify how the law applies to children younger than 10 years old.

The change legally redefined the breast as starting at the top of the areola.

“I’m extremely excited that the legal ball is finally rolling,” Ms Hoagland said, as reported by The Denver Post.

The lawsuit points out that the local ordinance prohibits women from showing their breasts and nipples in public, whereas boys and men can do so “without fear of arrest or prosecution”.

Women could face imprisonment of up to 180 days and a fine of up to $2,650 for breaking local laws.

The lawsuit argues that the phrase “women are prohibited from” is sexist and therefore unconstitutional, according to civil rights lawyer David Lane, whose law firm filed the suit.

Thirty states, as well as the cities of Denver, Boulder and New York, have recognized a woman’s right to appear topless in public, the lawsuit stated.

In Chicago, a judge ruled against a woman’s challenge to the prohibition that she could not show her breasts, saying female breasts are considered "erogenous" in a way that male breasts are not.

The subject has come into the spotlight after a 2014 film called “Free The Nipple”, and celebrities like Miley Cyrus have fought social media websites for taking down photos of them posing topless.