Friday, July 11, 1997


Letters

Pure of Mind

RE: Helen St. Claire's letter on the lack of controversy over the fact that it is illegal for a woman to publicly expose her breasts for a sexual or commercial purpose in Ontario, whereas it is legal for a man to do so.
Anyone who supports it being legal for individuals to publicly expose their body parts (be it their midriffs, their breasts, their genitals, etc.) for the purpose of personal comfort, but who opposes it being legal for individuals to publicly expose their body parts with "sexual intent" (e.g., with the intention of sexually arousing others), wants public indecency laws to be based on a Puritanism of the mind rather than a Puritanism of the body. Such a person is not "progressive"; puritans of the mind are as prudish as puritans of the body!
Incidentally, given that it is illegal for a woman to publicly expose her breasts with the sexual or commercial intent here in Ontario, does that mean that it is likewise illegal for a woman for a woman to publicly expose her cleavage with sexual or commercial intent in our prudish province? What is the likelihood that a woman who is publicly exposing her cleavage is doing so without sexual or commercial intent?

Sheldon Warnock
Shelburne


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