City council should review ordinance

To the editor,

I read the letter to the editor from Catherine Callahan on June 10 regarding the South Portland ordinance on nude swimming/indecency. I am sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I agree 100 percent with her points. Why are we targeting female identifying people and topless nudity? Who made breasts indecent? Her point was if this is going to occur, why wouldn’t it be gender neutral? I listened to the council discussion as well and no one offered Ms. Callahan’s idea: “… all persons regardless of gender identity may be topless (in public) if they so choose.”

As of 2019, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a topless ban in Ft. Collins, Colorado, after two women sued the city for the right to go topless in public. A federal court ruling over a ban on women going topless in public has essentially made it legal for women to go topless in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma – states that many would consider far more conservative than Maine. I am betting there is more current information than this. South Portland is open to a lawsuit, and I, for one, would support women going forth with this suit.

At a time when we are supposedly equalizing treatment of all people, wouldn’t this be a great opportunity to show that? Are breasts being visible really a sign of indecency? In many cultures, women roam topless, breast feed openly and are not at risk of being arrested. Why don’t we normalize breasts as part of the anatomy?

I ask the South Portland City Council to review this ordinance, be sure it is without bias and not subject to a lawsuit. We consider ourselves liberal in so many other ways. Let’s reconsider this ordinance and give women/female identifying people the freedom they deserve.

Rosemarie De Angelis

South Portland

Ban bacon at B2B

To the editor,

As a first-time runner in the Beach to Beacon 10K on Aug. 6, I was very excited to finally be part of Maine’s premier road race. At the starting line we heard from local hero and founder Joan Benoit Samuelson who talked about how great it was to have the race back after a two-year hiatus. She was followed by an emotional and inspiring rendition of our national anthem by a young woman, and then, we were off.

Fans, flags and a live band all urged us onwards on that hot and humid morning, and the race was all that I dreamt it would be after wanting to do it for over 20 years. Well, that is until mile five of the race, when I started to smell, wait for it, bacon. I was appalled that people were thrusting a dead pig at me as I looked on in disbelief.

Why would someone think that was OK at a road race? Athlete’s are out to compete and celebrate in a community atmosphere of health and sportsmanship, not to consume a product that contributes to clogging arteries. Besides offending vegans, what about the front-runners, some who may be Muslims? Those offering bacon should rethink their offerings for next year. How about some tofu instead? Thanks neighbor, I’ll be looking for it next year.

Don Kimball
South Portland