Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Angye, Angye, where will it lead us from here?

Events organizer Angye Fox has left Caliente Resort in Pasco County, Florida, but her sexing up of the resort, and marketing to swingers groups, has homeowners up in arms and threatening to sue. Richard Klos, a resident, presented County Commissioners with a notebook filled with evidence of events such as "Naughty School Girl Camp" to "Sinful Seduction". It's a tricky situation to enforce adult entertainment laws at a place where everyone is nude, but if admissible evidence surfaces, Caliente could be in for some trouble.
Deb Bowen, Caliente spokeswoman, said the resort has strict policies at community property, including the swimming pool, and enforces it.

"Any antics were exposed and stopped immediately," she said.

She added that the former events organizer, Angye Fox, who left the resort last month, may have taken the marketing a little far. "That's why you have a staff who can reel it back in," she said.

But she made no apologies for the more explicit tone in the type of events the resort is conducting. The idea, she said, is to attract a younger generation.
Did Deb Bowen just admit on the record that there were definitely "antics"? That statement could almost certainly be used against Caliente in any legal action, and illustrates just how unsavvy nudists and naturists are when dealing with the press.

While the Commissioners seem unable to provide any relief for homeowners, they are sympathetic and suggested to Mr. Klos that he hire a lawyer and consider a civil suit.

AANR and TNS are losing this PR battle for the definition of nudism/naturism. Either there needs to be much stronger pushback against this sexual behavior, or begin to accept the fact that the nudist community is going to be irreparably split into two factions: family and adult.

It will be interesting to see if Caliente homeowners sue the resort. If they are successful, it will certainly put a chill on other resorts which are considering a turn to a more adult-oriented agenda. If they fail, it will probably open the door for other struggling resorts to spice things up to bring in more revenue.

I am a strong opponent of turning traditional family-friendly nudist resorts into havens for swingers, but a recent post by Dr. Marty Klein about sexual prejudice got me to thinking.
Carnival Cruises of Miami will not book another “cougar-cub cruise” (younger men and middle-aged women meeting for erotic connection, either temporary or long-term), even though the first sold out and demand for a second is high.

It’s not clear what Carnival objects to—middle-aged women having sex, middle-aged women having sex with people other than the crew, or simply all that legendary 24-hour-a-day food going uneaten.
I've said many times that I have no objection to Caliente catering to a swingers crowd, but I do object to the use of the term "nudist". Even though Caliente uses the term "clothing-optional", in the eyes of the public it's the same thing.

Instead of AANR revoking charters and losing members, maybe it's a better (and certainly more radical) idea to begin rating resorts just like they do movies in Hollywood. Parents take their kids to the multiplex and drop them off to see the Chipmunk movie as they go to the theatre next door to see something more adult like "Up in the Air".

Young adults will certainly be more attracted to the sexy and romantic atmosphere of Caliente or Hedonism, and perhaps when they get a little older and have kids, they will continue their nude recreation activities at more family-friendly venues.

Perhaps AANR is a bit guilty of the same sort of sexual prejudice that confronts nudists every day.

Either traditional nudists and naturists learn to live with a spicier version of the lifestyle, or die a slow death as the younger generation rejects miniten, petanque, and pot-luck dinners.

In December, 1962, Edmund Kiernan wrote:
We who belong to the nudist movement know that social nudity has very little sex stimulation; but we also realize that with a different attitude allowed there could be plenty of such stimulation. There was a reason for the rule against alcohol in the parks and for the rule against physical contact that might cause sex arousal. The need for these rules still exists. Although, thanks to a friendly press, we are regarded with more tolerance than in the early days, the nudist movement is still not accepted by most Americans. If we were to follow the advice of Eden 11, whatever acceptance we have would be lost. Very probably nudist parks would be closed and nudism banned.
Things have certainly loosened up since then. Alcohol is present at every nudist resort I've been to. Physical contact is less frowned upon. AANR finally put in its bylaws that there should be no discrimination over sexual orientation. Tattoos and body jewelry are common, as are shaved pubic areas. TNS is having seminars on Roman Sex, polyamory, and "raunchy" burlesque at its Mid-Winter Festival. Edmund Kiernan is probably rolling over in his grave.

Nudists have traditionally been as prudish about sexuality as the rest of clothed society. Perhaps even more so. Can nudism and naturism, as defined by AANR and TNS, survive in a society where teens are sending nude photos with their cell phones, pornography is omnipresent, and sex is used to sell everything from soap to politicians? Senator-elect Scott Brown posed for a nude Cosmopolitan centerfold when he was in college, certainly more sexual than a nudist event, yet that did not prevent him from winning in Massachusetts last week.

This is the central debate for nudists and naturists today. More to come on this subject soon.

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