Express your support for Topfree Equal Rights!
1) Contact the Media
2) Contact the Government
Media:
If you live in Canada, when a topfreedom issue comes up, please write a short letter to your local or regional newspaper. It helps if you know the newspaper's style and suggestions for letters (e.g. length), but this is not always necessary.
The firmest argument is based on equal rights. These are the basic points as we see them:
A) The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom from discrimintaion based on sex. This is stated in Paragraph 15(1).B) The Ontario Court of Appeal decision in the Gwen Jacob case was handed down in December 1996. This makes it even clearer that women going topfree are doing nothing illegal (or indecent, harmful or degrading).
C) It is therefore legal for women as well as men to go topfree in Ontario, and by extension of the Court's persuasiveness, the rest of the country.
D) Individual fears or beliefs about this issue cannot restrict women's equal rights under the law.
Complaints, community standards, morals, polls, referendums, politicians, bylaws, religions, etc., however people consider them, cannot affect these basic issues. There will be other issues, of course, that come up and may be addressed as you see fit.
It is possible for men or women to break the law while topfree. Some people use this as an excuse to ban topfree women (not men, note). But it is equally possible to break the law while wearing a top. Individual events involving topfreedom do not affect women's equal rights, therefore, because topfreedom itself is not the problem.
Email Addresses:
Here are e-mail addresses of some newspapers in Ontario to which you may send a letter. Except for Toronto, repressive bylaws have been enacted in or discussed in these cities or very near them. Regardless of bylaws, if your newspaper does not appear here, phone it for the address for e-mail letters!
Ontario Newspapers:
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Brantford |
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Expositor |
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Hamilton |
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Spectator |
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Kitchener-Waterloo |
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Record |
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Kingston |
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Whig-Standard |
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London |
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Free Press |
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Ottawa |
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Citizen |
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Sun |
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Sudbury |
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Star |
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Toronto |
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Globe and Mail |
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Star |
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Sun |
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Windsor |
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Star |
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There are similar issues in other provinces:
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Calgary |
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Calgary Herald |
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Edmonton |
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Edmonton Journal |
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Halifax |
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Halifax Daily News |
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Halifax Herald |
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Montréal |
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Montreal Gazette |
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Saint John |
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Saint John Telegraph-Journal |
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Saint John Times Globe |
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Vancouver |
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Province |
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Sun |
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Winnipeg |
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Winnipeg Free Press |
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Government:
If you live in Canada, write to your member of Parliament. If you live in a province where women's topfree rights are an issue, write a similar letter to your representative in your provincial assembly, legislature, etc. If you live in a locality where women are being restricted and men aren't, bring this up with your local representative (city or regional politician, etc.).
Our main point is that women and men have equal rights. TERA starts there and returns there.
While we're on the subject of support, we acknoweldge with gratitude the organizations that have supported TERA over the years. In the following list we do not acknowledge our many, many individual supporters and donors, because their names remain confidential. We would not be anywhere without them, however, or the groups and companies named below.
Note that TERA does not link to these groups, because their mandates differ from ours. While TERA graciously accepts support from various groups and thanks them for their considerable insight, it does not comment on their aims.
B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute (FL)
The Body Objective (CA)
Federation of Canadian Naturists (ON)
McDougall Gauley (SK)
The Naturals Club
Naturist Action Committee (WI)
Naturist Education Foundation (WI)
The Naturist Society (WI)
Okanagan Shuswap Nudist Society (BC)
Senior Unlimited Nudes (CA)
South Florida Free Beaches (FL)
Sun Lovers under Gray Skies (SLUGS) (WA)
Wreck Beach Preservation Society (BC)