Story Archive

Oh, Goddess

The seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia depicts the goddess Virtus with Tyranny prostrate under her foot — and, in the official seal, with more skin showing than some people consider virtuous. Michelle Renay Sutherland posed as Virtus for a demonstration outside the capitol in Richmond in favor of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, and it got her an indecent exposure charge. When she told a judge she had no Virginia address, she was denied bail. “I was really confused,” said Sutherland, who had traveled from New York for the protest. Later, at the request of both the prosecution and the defense, the judge let her out — with an apology. He explained that when he made that decision he didn’t know the context, only the charge. (AC/Richmond Times Dispatch) ...Whose equal had he treated her as, a homeless guy’s?