Nudism and Naturism at a Crossroads Reax

A couple of reactions to my recent blog post here.

The Academic Naturist said:

How would the local nude beach be rated? If families are around, and the atmosphere is family-friendly, it would be a G. If swingers are around, it would be an R. Sex in public is illegal, so a rating of X would get the beach closed very quickly.

I never advocated ratings on public lands and beaches, only for resorts. Obviously all public areas would have to be strictly family-friendly. Not even a discussion point.

Brad Fults said:

In short, the establishment of a ratings system by anyone attempting to represent wholesome, innocent nude recreation (as AANR does) would only serve to tarnish the reputation of nude recreation as a whole by explicitly associating it with sexual content. The implicit association will always exist, just as it does in schools, churches and businesses, but it’s much harder to point to implicit associations in the courtroom (though they try). Once that association is made explicit, the death warrant of nude recreation is signed—every overzealous anti-nudist moralist in the country will be testifying that “the nudists’ own national organization admits that their lifestyle leads to sex and debauchery—just look at the R and X-rated clubs!”. And that’s all she wrote for “the credible voice of reason for nude recreation”.

For over three decades the motion picture industry was ruled by the Hays code, which determined what was and what was not acceptable in movies for public consumption. Along came movies like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and " The Pawnbroker", films which dealt with adult themes and nudity, and Hollywood was faced with making a decision - either ban the films, or impose a ratings system. Wisely, the latter choice prevailed, and films like "Midnight Cowboy" and "The Godfather" ushered in a new golden age of film making.

If anything, a ratings system would make AANR more credible, shedding some light on exactly what can be expected at any given venue. As of now, some clubs are clothing-optional, some require nudity. Some welcome children, some do not. There are already vast differences with how clubs operate, why not clarify?

Nudists and naturists are worried about swingers coming in and taking over their clubs. If clubs are rated, swingers would seek out the clubs most appropriate for them, and families would seek out the clubs safest for children.

Right now the general public does not understand the difference between clothing-optional or nudist. The general perception in the media is that all nudist resorts are engaged in sexual hi jinks - Caliente is always referred to as "nudist" in news stories.

A Google search for ADULTS ONLY RESORTS brings back 12 million results. A search for NUDIST RESORTS brings back less than 100,000. Either embrace it, or lose to it.