Three Canadian sisters from Ontario are organizing a Bare With Us campaign after being stopped while riding bicycles down a public street because they were topless. Alysha Brilla, a well known musician and a tireless advocate for women’s rights, was riding with two sisters down their peaceful residential street when the trio was stopped by a police officer in a marked car. According to the sisters the cop engaged in discrimination against women because the officer told them that they needed to put on shirts because this was the law. Brilla also reported that the officer changed things when she started to video record him, stating that he was just checking to verify that their bikes had the proper lights and bells. According to Brilla all the sisters want is an apology and a public admission that they were within the law and their rights to go topless.

In addition to organizing the Bare With Us event Brilla says that the sisters will be filing a formal complaint against the officer for discrimination against women. While it is illegal in much of Canada for adult women to go in public without a shirt on there are exceptions. The country has a number of designated clothing optional or topless beaches. In June there was a similar incident involving an 8 year old girl, Marlee McLean, who was asked to cover up by swimming pool employees because she was in the pool wearing only a pair of swim bottoms. Do yu think women should go topless in public? Why or why not?