Last weekend in New York, the people behind GoTopless.org staged a "protest" to fight for the "constitutional equality between men and women on being topless in public."
Sounded like a fun time and a good photo opportunity, and here is my gallery from Go Topless Day in Central Park.
Part serious and part goofy, the funky music and dance mixed with weighty speeches left me confused about the overall message, and I was even more puzzled when I read that "GoTopless was founded by the Raelian Movement, which recognizes that life on Earth was created by advanced extraterrestrial scientists."
This point was also missed (or ignored) in a wrap-up by the Daily News.
Rick Ross has republished a series of articles on Raelians, including a 2003 piece from the Edmonton Sun charging that Realians use sex to recruit. Skeptoid writer Brian Dunning asks, Who Are the Raelians, and Why Are They Naked?
Truth be told, I never caught wind of any spiritual or religious agendas when talking to some of the participants. Seemed like typical hippie/free lovers who live by rules not always embraced by more uptight segments of society.
And then everyone flew away in their UFOs.