To promote equality for all people, any person shall be allowed to go topless on any public or private beach within the Town of Nantucket, according to a change that has been in the works since May when residents approved the Gender Equality on Beaches bylaw amendment, or Article 71, at their annual town meeting.
The modification was made public last week by Maura Healey, the Massachusetts attorney general.
“We emphasize that our approval in no way implies any agreement or disagreement with any policy views that may have led to the passage of the by-law,” the Attorney General’s office explained in a letter to the Nantucket Town Clerk. “The Attorney General’s limited standard of review requires her to approve or disapprove by-laws based solely on their consistency with state law, not on any policy views she may have on the subject matter or wisdom of the by-law.”
The Attorney General’s office also ruled that two Massachusetts state laws and the Nantucket bylaw did not conflict with one another. “that can under certain circumstances involve the exposure of breasts.”
Dylan Fernandes, a Massachusetts state legislator who represents Nantucket, tweeted last week in support of the proposal.
“Nantucket beaches have been officially approved to allow both men AND women to go topless – a win for gender equity (& tan lines).”
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Gender Equality on Beaches bylaw amendment is a first of its type. It’s not yet apparent how the decision would operate on the island’s various public and private beaches once summertime arrives.