The Ocean City Beach Patrol has issued new guidelines to lifeguards and safety volunteers not to do anything about any woman going topless. That said, the OC city council still says that topless bathing by women is prohibited and the OC Police say they will take each instance on a case by case basis (no idea what that means). The MD Attorney General's office is still trying to figure out the official state policy which was recently challenged by a women's rights advocate on constitutional grounds.
Seems like the OC Mayor and City Council will be drafting an amendment to address this today:
"The question began last summer when the beach patrol was contacted by an Eastern Shore resident, Chelsea Covington, who believed it was her legal right to bare her chest on the Ocean City beach.
"The Mayor and City Council are unanimously opposed to women being topless on our beach or in any public area in Ocean City," Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said in the released statement. "While we respect Ms. Covington’s desire to express what rights she believes she may have, Ocean City is a family resort and we intend to do whatever is within our ability to also protect the rights of those families that visit us each year."
Friday night, the town announced a special session at noon Saturday, June 10, to discuss an amendment to the town code on "offenses involving public nudity or state of nudity." "
So unfortunately, that's what people think when it comes to women's rights.