It has been reported that British man Stephen Gough, also known as "The Naked Rambler", could spend the rest of his life in prison if he refuses to wear pants in public. The UK has already spent $400,000 keeping him in jail.
While Gough has been languishing in jail for the better part of the last six years, several participants in sculptor Antony Gormley's "The Fourth Plinth" project in Trafalgar Square used partial and complete nudity in their performances. Only one of the plinth occupants was asked by police to cover up, but later it was revealed that it is "not an offense to be simply naked in the U.K.", and the police had exceeded their powers.
Eventually the persecution of Gough will rise to the level of being absurd. That tipping point might be near, but there needs to be real support from British naturists. Chris Lamb, who joined Gough once on a "naked ramble", had this to say, "It seems a terrible tragic waste for that to happen. It really shouldn't be necessary but I can understand why the Scottish authorities get so upset. They feel their authority is being challenged."
It's time for British Naturism to challenge authority in support of Stephen Gough. Maybe he's not the poster child for naturism that they are looking for, maybe he's a bit too stubborn and eccentric, but there's an important battle here to be won. If 100 nude people march in protest of Gough's incarceration, perhaps it will spark public opinion and make authorities change their mind about keeping this man in jail for his entire life simply because he wants to live in the nude.
The question is: can British naturists afford to ignore Gough any longer without harming their own personal liberties? The longer he remains in jail, the more a person's right to be nude erodes.
Free Stephen Gough, now.
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