[KarlMalone]

Going topless sparks debates over gender equality

Éloÿse Paquet Poisson wasn’t intending to make a political statement when she stripped off her shirt on a recent hot, sunny day. Like so many of the men around her in the Quebec City park, she was just trying to cool down.
But what happened next, described in a Facebook post that has since gone viral, nevertheless underscores the extent to which women’s bodies remain a battleground — politically, culturally and socially.

As she sat topless on a blanket, doing macramé and smoking a cigarette, a lone police officer approached Paquet Poisson and asked her to cover up. She said no and he left. But he soon returned with reinforcements. Five officers surrounded her and asked her to put her shirt on. Again, she refused.