Topless Women, Public Nudity Okay By NYPD After Holly Van Voast Lawsuit

Topless women in public are now okay in New York City according to the NYPD after a topless activist named Holly Van Voast filed a lawsuit.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, political activism by topless women in public is all the rage nowadays.

Topless women protested Mattel’s opening of the Barbie Dreamhouse Experience. Another topless woman dressed as the pope shaved her pubic hair in the shape of a cross and threw condoms during a parade.

Topless activist Holly Van Voast sued the NYPD for supposedly violating her constitutional right to bare her breasts in public. Holly Van Voast has been arrested 10 times for public indecency while posing as the “topless paparazzo” Harvey Van Toast.

Holly Van Voast’s last “protest” included strolling through St. Patrick’s Cathedral while topless. For this incident, the NYPD hauled her off to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation. She’s also done “performance art” at a Manhattan elementary school.

Apparently, over 20 years ago the New York state Court of Appeals ruled women can legally bare their breasts in public for non-commercial purposes. But topless women or men can be charged with indecency for lewd acts, including masturbation and other sexual acts. Being bottomless is apparently not considered a lewd act in of itself.

In response to the Holly Van Voast lawsuit over topless women in public, the NYPD commanders have been issuing morning notices for 10 days straight reminding police officers that women can go topless in New York city streets. The NYPD memo on topless women in public states police “shall not enforce any section of law, including penal law sections 245.00 (public lewdness) and 245.01 (exposure of a person) against female individuals who are simply exposing their breasts in public.”

Do you think New York should allow topless women in public?