Worcester Woman Cycles Topless For Equality

A topless cyclist outside of Boston has raised eyebrows and questions about the legality of public nudity this month, as she biked through Massachusetts as a member of Topless Equality, a group that advocates for the right of women to bare their chests like men.

"She is out there riding around, appearing to be topless and exposing herself for the shock value," Leicester Police Chief James Hurley told Boston's local CBS station.

When Worcester woman Stacey Schnee decided to take a bike ride from her Webster Square neighborhood down Route 9 to Leicester in early September wearing only shorts, shoes and a helmet, it wasn't long before two police cruisers pulled her over.

"They were trying to tell me I was doing something wrong, and I argued back that no, it's not, it's legal," Schnee told The Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

The 38-year-old single mother of two, 8 and 10, routinely walks around her Webster Square neighborhood bare-chested. She rides her bike, mows the lawn, hangs out in her yard, all topless. If it's warm out, off comes the shirt, bra and all. She often wears pasties -- small stickers that cover up her nipples and areolae of her breasts -- to avoid legal trouble.

"You don't even actually have to, but it's way easier to get out of trouble when you are wearing them in this state because the laws are shady," said Schnee, who was wearing pasties when the cops pulled her over.

Leicester Police Chief James J. Hurley said his officers sent Schnee on her way, telling her to go back to Worcester. In 29 years in policing, Chief Hurley says he's never encountered a situation quite like this, noting that Schnee had a sign on her bike promoting Topless Equality, raising the issue as to whether her actions constituted a political protest and therefore protected speech.

"My stand was because my nipples were covered I wasn't doing anything wrong. I'm also making a statement for topless equality to get the word out that women should be able to go topless," Schnee told WPTV.

"We looked at both the indecent exposure and open and gross statutes and the question is if her chest area is not completely exposed is it a violation of those statues? And we are not sure," Chief Hurley told the Telegram.

Leicester police put together a file on the incident and sent it to Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.'s office to get their opinion. District attorney spokesman Timothy J. Connolly said the DA's office is reviewing it.

"Based upon a review of the law, it is unclear whether her partially covering herself up, puts her on the right side of the law," Hurley said.

As far as going around topless, Schnee undoubtedly has a unique perspective: She used to live as a man and had gender reassignment surgery in June 2011 and breast augmentation last year. She said her children have adjusted to her transition.

"This is just how our family is," she said. "It's just a little different. Daddy has breasts and Daddy is now a girl. To them it's completely normal."