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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ´  Bulletin 5  ÃÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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                   Should Women be Allowed to Go "Top-Free"?  


     Several interesting cases involving Pagan values are turning up in the 
news.  Consider how the following could be viewed from The Pagan Passage. 

     In one case, a recent New York state court overturned the convictions of 
"The Top-Free Ten", a group of women who removed their shirts and tops in a 
public park several years ago.  They argue that a patriarchal attitude and the 
Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition of covering women's breasts turns them into 
objects of male sexual gratification.  A female judge agreed and over-turned 
the lower court decision.  The D.A. is appealing the case, saying that the 
sight of women exposing their breasts will cause car accidents and increase 
sexual harrassment.  

     Across America, women report constant stares and frowns when they 
breastfeed in public, a function for which female breasts are designed.  From 
south Florida we hear about thong-clad women selling hot dogs at roadside 
stands.  Vendors report their business increases by 40% whenever they wear the 
scanty bathing suits.  If more sales means increased tax revenue, is it wise 
for a state to regulate their choice of a "uniform"?   In South Hampton, New 
York, a city law bans males from jogging without their shirts.  Since neither 
sex can display their breasts there, does this mean total equality between the 
sexes?  

     From a Pagan perspective, the Top-Free movement represents a return to 
the original tradition where women had a choice.  According to archaeologist 
Marija Gimbutas, more than half of the figurines of Old Europe (6500-3500 
B.C.E.), appear to be nude above the hips.  The disappearance of these 
figurines, coupled with the emergence of patriarchal religions, offers 
evidence of the collision long ago between the Pagan and Kurgan cultures.  
Since then, women have been compelled to cover their breasts. 

     Is America ready to accept women going "top-free"?  What do you think? 

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