Why hundreds of women went naked in Byron Bay on Valentine’s Day

MORE than 200 women gathered at Apex Park in Byron Bay to demand an end to violence against women, girls and gender-diverse people as part of a global Valentine’s Day protest.

Actress Madeleine West, comedian Mandy Nolan and Byron Shire mayor Sarah Ndiaye were among the women who took part in the V-Day event, which is part of the global movement 1 Billion Rising.

The initiative launched on Valentine’s Day 2012 as a call to action based on the statistic that one in three women worldwide will be beaten or raped during their lifetime.

The women performed a dance to the song Break the Chain and a Bolero dance troupe also performed the empowering Spanish dance at the event before taking a naked swim at Main Beach.

“We did give a warning in case people didn’t want to go in as it had been raining but nobody seemed to take notice,” organiser Zenith Virago said. “I turned around and there were already 50 women in the water and I thought, ‘oh well, just join them then’. The water was warm and pretty clear.”

Virago said she was surprised by the large turnout given the forecast and stormy skies.

“I didn’t expect that many at all,” she said. “There was some discussion about cancelling but I always think, ‘let’s just turn up and see what happens’.”

“It’s so important because two women a week are being murdered by their partners or family members in Australia,” Virago said. “What we are trying to do is protest about that and raise awareness but also bring an end to that epidemic.”

This year marked the 14th anniversary of the event in Byron Bay. It originally began on Main Beach before moving to the park a few years later to make it more accessible.