Voters say no to topless ballot measure

Voters in a state representative district in Pittsfield have knocked down a ballot proposal that pushed for a woman’s right to go topless in public.

The Third Berkshire District ballot question failed on Election Night by a more than 2-1 margin, with 2,934 votes in favor of the measure and 6,855 against. The proposal would have required the district’s state representative to support legislation amending the definition of nudity so that females of any age could be shirtless in public anywhere that males can.

Katherine Gundelfinger, who spearheaded the effort to put the question on the ballot, said she was confident that this wasn’t the last folks will hear about the issue.

“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,” Gundelfinger said in a statement.

For now, indecent exposure in Massachusetts remains a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum penalty of up to six months in a house of correction, a $200 fine, or both.