Mass. town rejects topless measure

PITTSFIELD, Mass., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- A Massachusetts town rejected a ballot measure calling for the right of women to go topless in public.

The ballot question before the Third Berkshire District in Pittsfield received 6,855 negative votes with only 2,934 votes in favor, The Boston Globe reported Thursday.

Proponents of the ballot question, which called for women to have the right to be topless anywhere men are allowed to be shirtless, said the non-binding vote was aimed at drawing support for a statewide measure, the Berkshire Eagle reported.

"The 2,934 voters who voted in favor of amending the definition of nudity to reflect gender equality give me confidence that this is an important issue that must be heard," said Katherine Gundelfinger, who headed the effort to get the measure on the ballot.