SAN ANTONIO – A group of protesters marched topless through downtown San Antonio Sunday in a first-of-its-kind rally to promote women's rights to go topless in public.
"We'd like to have the equal rights that men are afforded," said organizer Michele Pernoud.
The event was organized by GoTopless, a Las Vegas-based organization that aims to change societal attitudes toward the female anatomy and breastfeeding.
The group held rallies across the country Sunday, using the blunt exhibitions to point out what it sees as the hypocrisy of city's where men are allowed to show their chests in public but women are not, and where it is legal to open carry a firearm in public, but illegal for women to show their breasts.
"We eventually hope to change the laws so that the Fourteenth Amendment will respect the true equal rights policy that is in place, but not respected," Pernoud said.
San Antonio city law prohibits the exposure of female breasts so protesters wore red tape over their chests. There was a visible police presence in Travis Park, but no arrests were made.
The rally brought out many male protesters who wore bras as a show of support.
"They're here in solidarity with the same thought about equal rights and they think it's a very blatant disrespect of the Fourteenth Amendment," Pernoud said.
The group plans to hold the rally again next year.