Women in Manhattan can legally go topless

Women can legally bare their breasts in public in Manhattan, Kansas.

The City Commission unanimously voted this week to amend the city code to allow women to go topless. However, property and businesses owners can still require all patrons to wear a shirt.

City Attorney Katie Jackson recommended the change to avoid potential lawsuits. She said the code could be changed again later.

Jackson cited a federal court ruling in February 2017 that blocked Fort Collins, Colorado, from enforcing a law against women going topless. Fort Collins is in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, as is Kansas. You’ll remember this was also a big issue in Oklahoma recently.

Jackson said the government could still prosecute a topless woman who is acting in a lewd manner, which is against state law.