August 01, 1998

REGINA (CP) _ Three women swam topless Saturday in a public pool to celebrate their right to bare their breasts in public.

About 50 curious onlookers waited nearly three hours _ peeking through a chain-link fence _ for a glimpse of Evangeline Godron, Heather Ireland and Catrina Neudeck taking a topless swim in the pool. ``I think we made a point and I think it's a good point,'' said Ireland, 19, after her topless dip in the pool.

She pointed to men walking around without shirts at the pool and said women deserve the same right. Provincial court Judge Eugene Lewchuk ruled July 22 that women could bare their breasts in public. Lewchuk dismissed charges of creating an indecent exhibition in public against Godron, 64, and Kathleen Rice, 43, after they walked topless through a Regina park last summer.

Godron, Ireland and Neudeck publicly prearranged their skinny dip, which drew heavy media coverage and a mostly male crowd of onlookers. The swimmers faced opposition from a religious group that handed out flyers at the entrance to the pool.

Anita Johnson with Regina's Celebration Lutheran Church said the exhibition set back women's rights. ``We want women to be respected and honored in society, not degraded,'' Johnson said after the women finished their swim.

Johnson complained to a lifeguard at the pool, who subsequently called police. Sgt. Clem Carnall said police arrived at the pool after the women left.

``We'll put a report in and forward it over to Sask Justice and let them decide,'' about whether there will be charges, Carnall said.