Should public sex and nudity be legalized 2

Topless women on skates, bikes and foot drew a surging crowd of grateful gawkers in Columbus Circle yesterday when they doffed their shirts to affirm the right to bare a lot more than arms.

The 10 or so women gathered and showed nearly all to protest the arrest of Jill (Phoenix) Feeley, who said she was taken into custody this month after going half naked on the lower East Side.

But Feeley and friends soon found out that taking such a revealing stance in New York can be risky.

"It got hot, then it got rainy," said Feeley, 25.

Then at least a dozen drooling men rushed through barricades and surrounded the women shortly before 4:30 p.m. Police quickly intervened, gaining the gratitude of Feeley.

"The cops were good today," she said.

But she was still steamed about her previous encounter with police.

Jeffrey Rothman, Feeley's attorney, said he plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the city for the Aug. 4 arrest.

He said two police officers told her to put on her top and she refused. She spent 12 hours in custody, but wasn't charged, Rothman said.

"We have to affirm women's right to be top-free, just as the other half of the population," he said.

"We're just demonstrating a right," said Feeley, a self-described "gypsy" who says she lives in an RV powered by vegetable oil.

There were no arrests yesterday. A police spokeswoman noted it's legal for women to go topless in public.

And that was fine with Bonaris Serrano, 21, an aspiring rapper from Washington Heights who checked out the protest after attending the Dominican Day Parade.

"I'm down with the feminist movement," he said. "I can dig that."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/337449p-288186c.html

Pop star PINK hates wearing clothes and wishes the music industry would let her perform naked.

The singer, 26, wishes it were acceptable to demand potential dancers remove their clothes before they audition to be in her music videos.

She says, "Why can't everyone just be naked. That's what I love about being the artist, if I had a casting couch for my videos.

"I'd be like, 'Take your shit off and shake it.'" Meanwhile the pop star Pink is disgusted and angry that teenage girls are so obsessed with Paris Hilton that they think it is cool to have a sex tape.

Pink caused controversy when she slammed female celebrities including Hilton and Jessica Simpson in her song "Stupid Girls". But she says there is nothing wrong with being sexy.
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity/93582004.htm

"For the past two years, Jordan Matter has been shooting 100 portraits of topless women in New York City's streets, restaurants and parks."

What's also of note is this:

"If police arrive on the scene, he pulls from his coat pocket a landmark 1992 ruling from the state Court of Appeals. It legalizes a woman's right to appear topless in public — and for that, Matter thanks Rochester's 'Topfree 7.'"
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1005825/posts