The White House lawn became the latest battleground in the “Free the Nipple” fight this weekend.
A shocking display of inequality was captured on video when TikTok influencer and trans woman Rose Montoya filmed herself topless in front of the White House, flaunting her breasts during a Pride event. Montoya was joined by two trans male activists who were also shirtless. Yet only Montoya — whether out of a sense of decency or internalized social pressures — censored her nipples with her hands. For all the White House’s moral posturing, Cockburn is shocked they would tolerate such brazen inequality.
The incident occurred at the White House’s “Pride Month 2023” event on Saturday, which had been delayed by a day due to “wildfires,” where Montoya met both Joe and Jill Biden. “It’s an honor,” Montoya said on video, shaking Joe Biden’s hands, “Trans rights are human rights.” Evidently Biden was honored to meet Montoya as well, calling the LGBT crowd the “bravest and most inspiring people I’ve ever known.”
After Montoya removed the top of her dress, the person recording the video is heard asking with glee, “Are we topless at the White House?” Cockburn is unsure whether the question was meant to be rhetorical, but the answer is yes, yes you are.
Conservative commentator Dana Loesch was quick to attack Montoya. “This is the White House, not a hookers-n-blow photo from Hunter’s laptop, it was the Pride party on the White House lawn two days ago hosted by Joe,” Loesch tweeted. “They also didn’t hang the American flag right according to code.”
The White House criticized Montoya’s conduct. “This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event at the White House,” a spokesperson told the Messenger. “It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance… Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events.”
In a video she posted Monday night, Montoya defended her topless antics, saying that she was not trying to be vulgar but simply living in joy. Montoya also claimed it is legal to go topless in the District of Columbia and that she is a supporter of the free the nipple movement. “Why is my chest now deemed illegal when I show it off, however before I came out as trans, it was not,” she asked?
Cockburn has to agree with Montoya on this one. How is it fine for a trans man to expose his nipples at the White House lawn, yet a trans woman must cup them in her hands? Clearly we are still years from true equality.
