At the weekend, a group of trans women protested topless at the Scottish Parliament about the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Equality Act defines women as "biological women".
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At the weekend, a group of trans women protested topless at the Scottish Parliament about the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Equality Act defines women as "biological women". The police couldn't arrest them, because to arrest them for showing their breasts would be to define them as women (it's not illegal for men to be topless). And, of course, the right-wing press that reported on it censored their breasts, thereby making their point for them.
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At the weekend, a group of trans women protested topless at the Scottish Parliament about the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Equality Act defines women as "biological women". The police couldn't arrest them, because to arrest them for showing their breasts would be to define them as women (it's not illegal for men to be topless). And, of course, the right-wing press that reported on it censored their breasts, thereby making their point for them.
@brucelawson hold on. It illegal for women to be topless in Scotland?
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@brucelawson hold on. It illegal for women to be topless in Scotland?
@TheComfortableSpotPodcast Dunno; I think it could be considered "indecent exposure", which is against the law. One protester said “If the Supreme Court can see these woman legally as men, then they’ll have zero issue with them going tops off.” https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/17/scottish-parliament-holyrood-trans-protest-supreme-court/
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@TheComfortableSpotPodcast Dunno; I think it could be considered "indecent exposure", which is against the law. One protester said “If the Supreme Court can see these woman legally as men, then they’ll have zero issue with them going tops off.” https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/05/17/scottish-parliament-holyrood-trans-protest-supreme-court/
@brucelawson it's bonkers that women topless is considered indecent but men aren't. Yet another example of inequality.
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@brucelawson it's bonkers that women topless is considered indecent but men aren't. Yet another example of inequality.
@TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson
@jebantykI am told, by wiser people than I, that in #England & #Wales, the #crime of indecent exposure requires an "indecent" component. Merely walking about as your Deity/mother nature made you is not - in and of itself - a criminal act. One's accuser must explain to the judge's satisfaction why your exposure was indecent (maybe you needlessly jiggled something about, for example).
They went on to tell me that this is not the case in #Scotland, where one may be detained simply for rambling naked. They did not know whether or not one would successfully be prosecuted in the Scottish #court, but they thought it probable. It was not their area of expertise.
I did thank them for their advice, and put my clothes back on
#law #lawfare #UK #God #nudity #art #policing #police #courts #rambling
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@TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson
@jebantykI am told, by wiser people than I, that in #England & #Wales, the #crime of indecent exposure requires an "indecent" component. Merely walking about as your Deity/mother nature made you is not - in and of itself - a criminal act. One's accuser must explain to the judge's satisfaction why your exposure was indecent (maybe you needlessly jiggled something about, for example).
They went on to tell me that this is not the case in #Scotland, where one may be detained simply for rambling naked. They did not know whether or not one would successfully be prosecuted in the Scottish #court, but they thought it probable. It was not their area of expertise.
I did thank them for their advice, and put my clothes back on
#law #lawfare #UK #God #nudity #art #policing #police #courts #rambling
@doboprobodyne @TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson @jebantyk I went and found the Scotland-specific legal guide written up by British Naturism, it seems that they could have been fully in the buff and there would not have been anything inherently illegal about it. If they swore at someone who told them to put a top on though, it might be! Police sometimes detain naked ramblers anyway, but this is in spite of the law. https://www.bn.org.uk/files/file/739-legal-guides-public-place-naturism//
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@doboprobodyne @TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson @jebantyk I went and found the Scotland-specific legal guide written up by British Naturism, it seems that they could have been fully in the buff and there would not have been anything inherently illegal about it. If they swore at someone who told them to put a top on though, it might be! Police sometimes detain naked ramblers anyway, but this is in spite of the law. https://www.bn.org.uk/files/file/739-legal-guides-public-place-naturism//
@compost_funeral @TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson @jebantyk
I am much obliged; thank you!
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@compost_funeral @TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson @jebantyk
I am much obliged; thank you!
@compost_funeral @TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson @jebantyk
Further, I must caution readers to great care in how they interpret this thoughtful and excellently written guidance. I note this 2011 article on the re-arrest of the Naked Rambler in Scotland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14649394
Being convicted of a crime, however egregiously wrongful the conviction, can be terribly inconvenient.
At any rate; the manner of protest of these ladies is tremendously elegant.
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@compost_funeral @TheComfortableSpotPodcast @brucelawson @jebantyk
Further, I must caution readers to great care in how they interpret this thoughtful and excellently written guidance. I note this 2011 article on the re-arrest of the Naked Rambler in Scotland: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-14649394
Being convicted of a crime, however egregiously wrongful the conviction, can be terribly inconvenient.
At any rate; the manner of protest of these ladies is tremendously elegant.
@doboprobodyne @compost_funeral @brucelawson @jebantyk@mastodon.cloud the enforcement of these norms is less about the act itself (a woman being topless) and more about controlling public reaction—especially from men. This essentially punishes women for the potential inability of others to behave appropriately, which is deeply problematic from a gender equality and human rights perspective.
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@doboprobodyne @compost_funeral @brucelawson @jebantyk@mastodon.cloud the enforcement of these norms is less about the act itself (a woman being topless) and more about controlling public reaction—especially from men. This essentially punishes women for the potential inability of others to behave appropriately, which is deeply problematic from a gender equality and human rights perspective.
@doboprobodyne @compost_funeral @brucelawson
This kind of logic reinforces several troubling ideas:
1. That women's bodies are inherently sexual, even when they're not being presented in a sexual way.
2. That men cannot or will not control themselves, which is insulting to men and infantilisng.
3. That public space is implicitly male by default, and women must modify their behavior to avoid provoking a reaction. -
@doboprobodyne @compost_funeral @brucelawson
This kind of logic reinforces several troubling ideas:
1. That women's bodies are inherently sexual, even when they're not being presented in a sexual way.
2. That men cannot or will not control themselves, which is insulting to men and infantilisng.
3. That public space is implicitly male by default, and women must modify their behavior to avoid provoking a reaction.@doboprobodyne @compost_funeral @brucelawson
Laws and social norms based on this kind of thinking contribute to a broader culture of victim-blaming and control over women's autonomy. Instead of teaching and expecting men (and everyone) to behave with respect and self-control, society too often shifts the burden onto women to avoid being seen or "provocative." -
I ina@turtleisland.social shared this topic
