"Protestors exercised the right to bare skin, taking off their shirts at Mainestreet on Saturday, July 24, in reaction to a town request that bartenders at the club stop going topless. .
Hundreds of people, including town officials, friends of the bar and local bar owners, attended the event at the popular gay bar, some traveling from as far as Washington D.C. to show their support.
"In D.C., everybody on Facebook was talking about this," said Jeff Seese, who arrived with over 10 of his friends in a white stretch-Hummer limousine. Seese had plans to visit a wedding in Kennebunk that weekend.
The controversy was sparked July 12, when Code Enforcement Officer Paul Lempicki told Mainestreet owner Norm Paquin to make sure his bartenders covered up their bare chests and asked him to conceal "whiskey bottles" visible from the street on the bar's outdoor deck.
Lempicki later called the topless pourers a "health hazard."
The code enforcement officer said he was acting on behalf of the town, which had received complaints about the shirtless bartenders and liquor bottles. Town Manager Tom Fortier said resident Harriet Yaffe was the lead spokesperson behind the complaints.
Yaffe said she has "no problems" with gay men, but feels the sight of the shirtless bartenders, along with liquor bottles on the patio, is "tacky." Full story here via Seacoast Online!
WGB: A shirtless revolt, sign me up!
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