Why I Oppose the Asbury Park Topless Beach Proposal

It seems at first contradictory that a nudist would have a problem with a legal topless beach.

But the proposed topless section at a beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey, is on the table for all the wrong reasons.

First, the idea is from a local woman named Reggie Flimlin who owns Yoga Basin, and is quoted as making this astounding statement: "I just thought it would be appropriate for Asbury Park, given how open and accepting we are, to celebrate women's rights in a particular area on the beach." She also stated that "currently men are topless and women should have the same right."

That would be like leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the sixties advocating "coloreds only" bathrooms and drinking fountains. One cannot "celebrate" any right by advocating segregation. Either the right exists, or it doesn't.

Secondly, the topless beach is heralded as being a boost to tourism. This I simply do not understand. Are they proposing to use exposed female breasts as an attraction, like they do at the topless pools in Las Vegas? Are they hoping to draw in more women who want to sunbathe topless, or more men who want to look at them?

Third, this effort totally undermines the women's topfree movement, which advocates equality between the sexes when it comes to taking off one's shirt in public. By creating a "topless" zone on a beach through legislation, this takes away a woman's right to be topfree anywhere except the designated area, sort of like an outdoor strip club. While topfree activists like Andrea Simoneau and so many others are trying hard to take back their female breasts from male ownership and sexualization, a topless beach only serves to further perpetuate the myth that a woman's body from the waist up is somehow lewd and a danger to children and society in general.

Dr. Paul Rapoport of TERA has posted the following statement: "A specific area set aside by any government where women may be topfree is just another means to control them and deny them equality with men. There must be no legislated topfree beach in New Jersey. If women decide to congregate topfree voluntarily in one or more places, that's another matter. They must be lawfully free to be topfree just about anywhere, not in some legislated ghetto --- beach or other."

I was stunned when AANR decided to jump on the Asbury Park bandwagon by offering support for this ill-conceived topless beach proposal.

On Tuesday, the American Association for Nude Recreation sent a detailed letter of support backed by statistics and information in credible publications such Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today to the city of Asbury Park, New Jersey. The city is considering designating a portion of the Asbury Park beachfront as “topless optional.” The package sent by AANR showed the benefits of European-style sunbathing in regard to tourism dollars and community acceptance and was sent by e-mail, fax and Federal Express.

AANR also included a small donation to the city’s Parks and Recreation summer project fund. City officials will meet on July 7 to further discuss the top-free proposal.

This is not a nude beach proposal. This is a proposal to treat women as second-class citizens simply because of the physical makeup of their bodies. AANR should immediately withdraw its support of this topless beach and advocate a woman's right to be topfree anywhere men enjoy the same right.

It has taken years for most states to recognize a woman's right to breastfeed a child in public, and it will take more time to decriminalize women's breasts for other non-sexual activities, such as sunbathing, or merely trying to keep cool on a hot day.

As far as I can determine, while there are legal nude beaches in America, there are no legal "topless" beaches such as the one being proposed. South Beach in Miami has long been unofficially topfree, but this has happened over time due to many less-inhibited European tourists frequenting the area.

Those who view this Asbury Park proposal as a "stepping stone" to a nude beach are pretty naive. Unlike Florida, which has the most nudists per capita in the United States and has 1800 miles of coastline, New Jersey already has Gunnison Beach and only 127 miles of coastline. Other than Friends of Gunnison Beach, I am not aware of any active movements in New Jersey to create a new nude beach. I am also unaware of any groups actively pushing for a "topless beach". This Asbury Park proposal does not come from any grassroots efforts, but from an idea of one businessperson looking to boost tourism.

And unlike Gunnison, which is a half-mile walk from the nearest parking lot and pretty remote, the Asbury Park beach will be overlooked by a high rise for senior citizens.

The city council will take up the matter on Wednesday, July 7. It is likely that there will be some heated discussion, especially from people who oppose the beach idea. One thing politicians don't like is controversy, so unless there is overwhelming support for this idea, the project will likely never get off the ground. It could be that AANR is banking on the beach's failure, using this news story merely as a means to achieve some cheap publicity.

Finding a silver lining in this whole mess is difficult, but one could say that the proposal for the topless beach. albeit ill-conceived and flawed, is a further indication that society is softening on nudity.

But the bottom line is that when it comes to freedom, men and women must be treated equally. Organizations like AANR who stray from this basic idea in the interest of sensationalist publicity should know better than to support regressive legislation.

I urge all readers to write to AANR and let them know how you feel about this issue. The future of nudism and naturism is in YOUR hands.

Key West Clothing Optional Beach Action Request

Members of FKFB hold the original banner that christened Haulover's c/o beach in 1991 Key West C/O Beach Action Request Dear : As previously noted, a Community Workshop will be held in Key West at Old City Hall on March 30, 2010 to discuss the designation of a clothing-optional area at Smathers Beach. You can show your support two ways: ATTEND THE MEETING if you are in the area. It is important that as many supporters as possible are in the audience. Shirley Mason has requested that a Haulover manager and the Haulover lifeguard captain be asked to attend to address any management concerns. VIEW MEETING TIME & PLACE DETAILS WRITE A LETTER OF SUPPORT Send a short letter of support for the c/o beach to be read into the minutes. Address your letter to "The Honorable Mayor and City Commissioners of Key West" Letters may be sent via email attn: Sue Harrison, Senior Deputy City Clerk, at Sharriso@keywestcity.com [At the right we've also listed the individual email addresses and names of the Mayor and Commissioners.] The c/o beach is being promoted as an economic benefit. Points that may be included in your letter: that you are interested in tourist destinations with a c/o beach that a c/o beach will make Key West more attractive to you as a vacation destination positive personal experiences with other c/o beaches like Haulover, Gunnison, etc. As the Key West Citizen noted: "Many commissioners received e-mailed form letters from right-wing Christian groups who said they would not visit Key West if it had a clothing-optional beach, but it was unclear as to whether any of the organized opposition was from local residents." (One such organization was the American Decency Association, prior to the Key West election that brought in a new mayor favorable to a c/o beach- Read its July 2009 post & email campaign) Read full Key West Citizen article (March 1, 2010) Note: Request your letter be read into the minutes of the c/o Beach Workshop on March 30th. Mayor Craig Cates has publicly voiced his support of a c/o beach, but implementation requires the votes of at least 4 commissioners, or 3 commissioners plus the mayor. We believe we will have a positive vote from Commissioners Johnston and Rossi, and that the Mayor's support and a good workshop will result in the needed additional vote from at least one other commissioner. Commissioner Wardlow is the only commissioner on record that he will NOT vote for a clothing-optional beach. Established in 1980, South Florida Free Beaches is committed to actively representing Naturism and nude recreation to government, business and civic leaders; to preserving public beaches and park lands for all citizens; and to lobbying for the position that a portion of such public lands should be designated for clothing-optional use - just as other portions of public lands are designated for the use of golfers, boaters, tennis players and the like. Founders of Haulover's Naturist Beach South Florida Free Beaches / FNA Inc. Key West City Officials [with presumed vote] Mayor Craig Cates [+] ccates@keywestcity.com City Commissioners: Barry Gibson [?] bfgibson@keywestcity.com Teri Johnston [+] johnston@keywestcity.com Clayton Lopez [?] clopez@keywestcity.com Mark Rossi [+] mrossi@keywestcity.com Billy Wardlow [-] bwardlow@keywestcity.com Jimmy Weekley [?] jweekley@keywestcity.com Additional Commission info on KEY WEST CITY WEB SITE Key West City Officials [with presumed vote] Mayor Craig Cates [+] ccates@keywestcity.com City Commissioners: Barry Gibson [?] bfgibson@keywestcity.com Teri Johnston [+] johnston@keywestcity.com Clayton Lopez [?] clopez@keywestcity.com Mark Rossi [+] mrossi@keywestcity.com Billy Wardlow [-] bwardlow@keywestcity.com Jimmy Weekley [?] jweekley@keywestcity.com Additional Commission info on KEY WEST CITY WEB SITE

Allen Baylis Reports No Citations at San Onofre in Four Months

From the Friends of San Onofre News:

To the best of our knowledge no citations for nudity have been issued since the Cahill/Harrison Policy has been revoked. We really can’t anticipate that the Parks Dept. has in mind for the summer, but you can be certain that if we don’t keep going to the beach and continue the long tradition of nude sunbathing, skinny-dipping and naked volleyball, the tradition will be lost. We must continue to show the government that we are not going to simply go away.

Be sure to read the entire report here.

Key West to Get Nude Beach Test Period

South Florida Free Beaches is reporting that Key West Mayor Craig Cates is saying that a clothing-optional area of Smathers Beach will proceed for a one-year trial period, capping a successful lobbying effort for the group.

The naturists had proposed they would provide signs for the beach, and Mayor Cates has notified FKFB that it will need to provide four. Three signs will be placed at the 2 dune crossovers, and on the sand at the start of the naturist area. The additional sign will be placed on the sand several hundred feet west to inform beach strollers that they are approaching the clothing-optional area.

Previous mayor McPherson had opposed a clothing-optional beach.

At this point we do not know the date when the clothing-optional beach will be officially available, but will keep you informed. We request that no nude use be attempted prior to official designation (italics mine).

Imagine if the hard-working folks at SFFB decided to pull a stunt like the fiasco at Delray Beach prior to this victory. The bad publicity would almost certainly soured the mayor and other city officials on the idea of a nude beach.

Congratulations to SFFB, and all naturists in that area need to work extra hard once the beach is open to maintain a safe, family-friendly atmosphere, so that public nude recreation can become a permanent fixture on the Florida Keys. You can donate to SFFB here.

Nude Beach Freedom (The Bareaucracy of Nudism)

State of California Spent $42,000 Fighting Nudity at San Onofre Beach

Public records show the State of California has spent $42,000 fighting the Naturist Action Committee over the issue of nudity at San Onofre Beach, and that the Parks Department took action against nudists over only two written complaints, according to a story today in the Orange County Register.

Ken Kramer, district superintendent of the Orange Coast District, said the money spent was well worth it.

"Our approach to this issue transcends dollars and cents," Kramer said. "This is money well spent to make sure we address these concerns. We have the duty to make sure that with this type of increased popularity and visitation that we have a park where all visitors feel welcome and that there is lawful activity occurring."

When asked about the shockingly low number of written complaints, Kramer said that the majority of the complaints were verbal, yet there is no documentation of those, and no explanation as to why records were not kept. Kramer also would not directly blame the nudists as the source of the complaints, yet showed his own bias by claiming that there was a "correlation between the two" without presenting any actual proof.

Kramer also indicated that if people did not comply with the San Onofre nudity ban, that his department would be "forced to take it to the next level."

It's abundantly clear that the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which is cash strapped to begin with, has done something overwhelmingly unpopular by banning nudity at San Onofre. Read the comments on the article and take the poll - the vast majority of respondents already feel that this is all a complete waste of taxpayer money and resources.

NAC might have lost the battle, but stands to win the war by taking a stand for naturist and nudist rights against out-of-control parks management. As more details emerge, AANR appears to be more and more in the wrong on this issue. It's hard to fathom an organization like AANR, which professes to represent nudists and their rights to be clothes-free in designated areas, would actually cave in on such an important case, and cede the loss of San Onofre as something acceptable in appeasing parks officials, who have shown time and time again that they cannot be trusted.

Thanks must go to Cindy Carcamo of the OC Register for researching and reporting this story. These new revelations should open the door for a new strategy to restore nudity at San Onofre. The question is: will AANR finally admit that it has been tragically wrong on this particular issue and unite with the NAC and the Friends of San Onofre to finally present a united front against those who would further erode our civil liberties and natural rights?

USA Today Covers the California Nude Beach Story

USA Today picked up on the banning of nudity at California's San Onofre Beach, and both Bob Morton and Allen Baylis are quoted. It's noteworthy that AANR was not interviewed for the article.

Park Superintendent Richard Haydon warns:

"We are going to be moving forward with starting to enforce the nudity statute down at San Onofre, and basically returning that portion of the beach to all people who want to go down there without fear of running into something they didn't think they would," Haydon said. "People should very well be under notice."

I really despise this so-called "rationale". How can you exclaim that you are returning the beach to "all" people by banning those who most frequent the area? This is clear discrimination. All that needs to be done is put up a sign or two warning about nude sunbathers so people don't have to live in "fear" of seeing too much flesh.

Most of the article is retread material, but Baylis does note that people are ready to be arrested in order to bring the matter before the criminal courts as a matter of civil disobedience. Unfortunately, with a government intent on robbing people of basic freedoms, sometimes that's the only way. I only hope that Baylis has the numbers of people necessary to make such a protest effective.

Key West to Bare All?

NBC in Miami is reporting that the Key West Florida city commission will introduce an ordinance today that would lift a nudity ban on beaches.

''No one visiting us [from other countries] understands why we are such prudes,'' Commissioner Sylvia Murphy told the Miami Herald earlier this summer.

No further information at this time.

San Onofre News Video...

...can be found here.

The Battle for Bates Beach

Santa Barbara's Nude Beach Alliance is making a public statement on restoring a clothing-optional section of Carpinteria's Bates Beach.

In spite of the complaints registered against the clothing-optional beach that contributed to the increase in enforcement of restrictions on nudity, advocacy groups insist that the positive effects of a nude section of Bates Beach will outweigh the complaints. Supporters have taken a closer look at the financial influences of clothing-optional beaches, especially focusing on tourist dollars. According to Allen Baylis, a director for the Naturist Action Committee, nude beaches can stimulate the economies of the areas that surround them, as evidenced by other communities that have opted to create clothing-optional stretches.

The Alliance proposes a Beach Ambassador progam similar to Neighborhood Watch, where volunteers monitor beach behavior for potential problems, and claims that the return of clothing-optional status will actually improve the safety of the area. The clothed rally held this past weekend is just the sort of peaceful activism that is needed to help secure naturist rights on public lands.

"So we can all get along"

An article in the San Diego Union-Tribune quotes California state parks spokesperson Roy Stearns on the San Onofre beach situation.

“Hopefully, people will understand and comply,” Stearns said. “We don't want to
assle people if we don't have to. Our thought is there is a law that says no nudity, and that applies to public land where we feel there should be some common rules of conduct that all of us subscribe to so we can all get along.”

Understand? Thought?" We feel?" What kind of language is this? Either there is a law or there isn't. Nudity is either allowed or it isn't. People are going to be fined, or they aren't. Allen Baylis is right when he says the public deserves to have the rules clarified.

This isn't about "getting along", it's about the law. People have been "getting along" for thirty years sunbathing in the nude at San Onofre, it's the Department of Parks and Recreation which has upset the apple cart.

ALL nudists and naturists need to be furious over this situation in California (and this means you AANR and all of your members) and get united in an effort to restore clothes-free rights on California state beaches. This is the big one, folks, and it's going to require money, protest, civil disobedience, and great numbers of people. AANR and TNS and the NAC all need to "get along", starting today.

Kapeesh?

I Told You So

A report in the San Francisco Chronicle suggests that the California Department of Parks and Recreation ban on nudity will not stop at San Onofre beach.

...the ruling overturned a 30-year-old policy that had allowed sunbathers and swimmers to bask unclothed in isolated sections of state beaches from San Diego to Eureka. Park rangers intervened only if someone complained, and then would merely tell the nudist to don a swimsuit or leave.

The ruling doesn't apply to federal parkland such as the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes San Francisco's North Baker Beach and several other Bay Area sites frequented by the unclad, or private land such as a portion of Muir Beach in Marin County. The National Park Service does not prohibit nudity on its land, said Chris Powell, spokeswoman for the national recreation area.

But some popular clothing-optional state beaches such as Gray Whale Cove south of Pacifica and Red Rock Beach in Mount Tamalpais State Park will be affected.

As I've warned, the DPR simply cannot be trusted. AANR is looking more and more like the fool in this whole fiasco. The NAC has no choice now but to seek further litigation to keep these beaches clothing-optional.

Previous posts:

Pissing Contest
Update on San Onofre
Civil Disobedience
Court Rules Against Naturists at San Onofre
NAC Bashes AANR

A Nude Beach for Maryland?

WYPR public radio in Washington DC is reporting that Maryland nudists are lobbying for a clothing-optional beach on the Maryland shore.

NAC Bashes AANR

While TNS (The Naturist Society) members frolic at the annual Eastern Gathering, the NAC (Naturist Action Committee) has released an update on California's San Onofre Beach which is basically an attack on AANR (American Association for Nude Recreation).

The tempest is based upon AANR's receipt of a letter from Tony Perez, Acting Deputy Director for Park Operations in California, which basically reiterates the 1979 "Cahill policy" which states that nude recreation is allowed in all state parks unless there is a complaint by a private citizen. While the original policy makes no exceptions as to which public lands fall under the rule, apparently the new Perez letter designates "remoteness" as a condition for clothing-optional use.

NAC appears to have a valid point. AANR does not mention the "remoteness" limitation in its "Government Affairs" column in the May 2009 bulletin. Alonzo Stevens, AANR Government Affairs Chair, implies that the Perez letter offers assurance that "the Cahill Policy was not threatened in the state of California, with the exception of San Onofre, because of the litigation." In fact, the exact words in the letter are as follows:

Since 1979 the Cahill Policy has tolerated nude sunbathing in remote state park areas up to the point where a complaint is received from a member of the public. It remains in effect as a practical approach to enforcement of CCR Section 4322 in remote areas.

The original Cahill letter makes no mention of "remoteness" as a condition, so this is indeed a new interpretation.

I agree with NAC that the notion of "remoteness" as being a necessary component of a clothing-optional beach is dangerous, because keeping such areas away from populated areas will only further stigmatize nude sunbathing, and will no doubt draw unwanted sexual activity.

The question also seems to be whether of not the Perez letter is official policy. In the case of the 1979 Cahill Policy, a letter was sent to park officials statewide, and I don't see any evidence that the "remoteness" condition has been widely distributed, but its clear that at the very least, Perez considers it to be his policy.

AANR claims that California's Parks and Recreation Department "wishes to partner" with AANR on a "neutral project", whatever that means. This could just be an effort to "appease" the nudist community by offering a remote piece of land for clothing-optional use, and to make the issue go away.

Or, AANR could be playing the fool, cleverly drawn out of the current beach fight by the DPR with the promise of a partnership which will ultimately be reneged upon if and when the state succeeds in banning naturists from San Onofre.

Or, for all you cynics out there, AANR could be deliberately trying to derail the public lands issue in California in order to force more people into private clubs and resorts.

As Abraham Lincoln once said, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." NAC and AANR should be united on this issue, but blind ambition and foolish politics are pitting the two organizations against one another. It's getting ugly, and ultimately members of both organizations stand to lose more than they gain. But who is right on this issue?

NAC claims that AANR is willing to throw San Onofre Beach under the bus in order to further its own agenda. That does appear to be the case.

AANR has sold its soul to the devil on this issue. Since the Court of Appeals is set to issue a ruling soon on the San Onofre case, AANR is betting that the Department of Parks and Recreation will ultimately win, even if it loses in the short run. While the DPR is currently obligated to enforce the Cahill Policy, it will likely attempt to make changes through administrative process, and the "remoteness" condition appears to be their goal.

Clothing optional beaches must be accessible, visible, legal and family-friendly. Banishing nudists and naturists to remote areas only further marginalizes the lifestyle, attracts the perverts and the creeps, and ultimately makes it easier for governments to shut down the activity altogether.

AANR needs to join the NAC in fighting to keep the Cahill Policy in effect as it was originally written in 1979. Anything less is a defeat for nudists and naturists everywhere. In the short run, by siding with the DPR, AANR will no doubt continue to claim victory, especially if an official clothing-optional area is created in a remote area of California. Such a "victory" would be short-sighted and hollow.

You can donate to the NAC here.

The Daily Newds 5/20/09

• Porn stars are getting more parts in mainstream films.
• A Colorado Springs attorney is asking a judge to declare the city's ban on nudity in licensed liquor establishments unconstitutional.
• The saggy pants proposal in Tennessee is likely dead.
• Red Moser, PA, PhD, chronicles his life in nudity.

  One of my strangest experiences in 1975 was a nude graduate school interview! I applied for a master's program at UC Davis. In order to save me the travel time, three of the faculty members offered to interview me at their home in Sonoma County. I arrived promptly, clad in my interview suit and tie. There was no answer at the door, but I heard them call me from the back yard. As I entered through the gate, I couldn't help but notice that I was a bit over-dressed for the occasion. I don't really know, but I think I am the only person ever to be interviewed for graduate school by three nude faculty members.

• "The Sex Education Show" in Britain tackles the issue of pornography and how it is affecting young people today. Episodes can be viewed online here.
• The lawsuit over the death of Luis Andrew Martinez, aka Berkeley's Naked Guy, has been settled.
• The media is finally waking up to the fact that people are being virtually strip-searched at airports, due to the fact that privacy advocates are calling for a suspension in the use of the imaging machines.
• John Zammit, candidate for the European Parliament, is running on a platform which includes the creation of nudist beaches.
• A costly legal battle looms in the UK over the protection of a nudist beach from an apartment complex which threatens to look out directly onto the sunbathers.
• A columnist takes on the naked vs. nude debate.

  In the context of his argument, it seems better to be naked than nude; the former implies a choice, whereas the latter implies that a female is being unwittingly, unfairly dominated by a male gaze. Other critics would argue almost the opposite, however. Kenneth Clark, a critic who is often credited as the source of the debate, believed that nude forms are the admirable equivalent of Titian’s Venus; they are ideal forms of art, while naked bodies are just their embarrassing, real-life counterparts.

• The owner of a BBQ restaurant in Reading, Ohio, has been ordered to "cover up a bit" a female mannequin standing outside the establishment. The mannequin has been wearing a bikini top and shorts, and some people complained that it was "too sexy". The owner plans to appeal.

The Daily Newds 5/18/09

• British model Katie Price faces possible arrest for nude sunbathing in the Maldives.

  Foreign Office travel advice warns: "Nudism and topless sunbathing are prohibited throughout the Maldives including on resort islands. "The Maldives is a Muslim country and serious violations of law may lead to a prison sentence."

• No disciplinary action will be taken against six students who streaked across the stage at the Green Mountain College commencement in Vermont.

  It's sort of become a new tradition at the school, one that is not encouraged but not "stamped out, either," (communications director Kevin) Coburn said. "It happened at last year's commencement," Coburn said, hours after Saturday's streaking.

• Married for 43 years, Ian and Nancy Watters love the nude lifestyle.

  "We do everything in the nude; mowing, mulching, gardening. We always seem to have a lot of laughs and that’s good for your health."

• A sex theme park slated to open in October has been torn down by Chinese authorities because it was "vulgar, ill-minded and misleading."
• A South Texas town is debating whether or not to ban "nude sketch classes" in the Arts District, due to its proximity to schools and day care centers.
• Laurie Penny says that burlesque today is nothing more than a "misogynist scam."

  I began to realise that what really differentiated my act from that of your average stripper wasn't the performance, or the costumes, but simply class. Like the majority of women who choose to get involved with burlesque, our troupe was made up of middle-class girls, with the act offering us an opportunity to indulge in raunchy exhibitionism without feeling "cheap" (at least initially). Burlesque serves up misogyny in a tasteful package of feathers, while the explicit nature of the shows increases each year. When I was performing, complete nudity was frowned on, but burlesque acts such as Satan's Striptease and Empress Stah have since started offering full-frontal flashing.

• Why are law enforcement officials targeting Craigslist for censorship? It's "good politics."
• A teen has been suspended by his fundamentalist Baptist educators for attending a prom at another high school because there was "dancing, rock music and hand-holding."
• A group of Belgian actors rode nude on bicycles at the Cannes Film Festival to promote their movie.
• The Christian Action Network in Cape Town, South Africa, want to criminalize pornography and other forms of adult entertainment after a recent Sexpo event. Miss Nude South Africa says that Sexpo was not exploitative.
• 80% of Key West tourism-based businesses support a clothing-optional beach.
• A Lutheran pastor has denounced Miss California USA Carrie Prejean as a hypocrite.

  "(In) America, according to this girl ... it is totally immoral for two people of the same gender who are in love to enter into a lifelong, faithful, monogamous union, (and) apparently not a problem at all for a 17-year-old girl to be photographed half-naked for the expressed purpose of sexually arousing millions of heterosexual men to whom she is not married and who are not married to her."

• Dita Von Teese was ordered to show "less cleavage" during the Eurovision Song Contest.
• A nude sketch of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is up for auction in Paris. Imagine if a similar image of Michelle Obama went on sale in New York City, and you can clearly see the cultural divide.
• Does a teacher have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" for files stored on a school computer?
• The producer of a Danish TV reality show has apologized for shooting a nude scene on a Malaysian island.
• If you think nudity has caused some trouble through the years, consider these instances where articles of clothing caused riots.
• Kenyans want the statue of a nude boy in front of a court house to be demolished claiming it "encourages pedophilia."
• One woman ignores the "naked baby police" and lets her kids frolic nude in a wading pool.
• Striking a balance between "nudists and prudists" has been difficult at North Lido Park in Sarasota, Florida.
• The Calgary Music Festival features bands, nature, and a "nude slip-n-slide."
• Helena writes, "stop being so prude and get your kit off" after witnessing women showering in their bathing suits at the local gym.

  Being a Swede, where nudity is something natural, this is incredibly strange to me. When I'm in the communal showers I notice that these women are still wearing their swimmers but had they been naked I wouldn't have batted an eyelid. Why is it that some women, depending on their upbringing, culture or religion, cannot get undressed in front of other women. We all look the same. And when I'm in the shower I don't look at what your bodies look like. I'm busy trying to squeeze out of my wet, too tight bathing suit and just wash myself. I have no interest in looking at other women. So please, just get your kit off and feel that it's ok to wash yourselves properly. Because you can't really reach all your bits when wearing a Speedo!

• A new naked tribe has been found in Nigeria.
• William Cook, who founded the Eastwoodhill Arboretum in Gisborne, New Zealand, was an avid nudist.

  ...he often did his gardening unimpeded by clothes, apart from the boot he wore to help with digging holes, and visitors soon learned that it was a good idea to phone for an appointment.

• Attorney Scott H. Greenfield calls the criminalization of teen sexting as "the stupidest thing ever."

Is Nudity Now a Family Value?

Here's one of the photos TMZ posted today of a topless Carrie Prejean, complete with obscured nipple. Prejean claimed in a press conference today that it was the wind which must have blown open her top. Does her hair look windblown in this photo?

Again, I don't care that she posed nude, or made a sex tape. And I don't care that she believes that marriage is between a man and a woman. As she points out, our President shares the same view.

What irks me to no end is that she is turning this personal belief into a political cause in a attempt to deny civil rights to American citizens seeking merely to marry the person of his or her choice. You can believe what you want, but stay out of my face and the faces of other citizens.

Prejean turned into such a spectacular train wreck that Donald Trump and the sexist pageant industry decided to keep her on as Miss California, undoubtedly due to all the publicity which has piqued new interest in the manufacturing and selling of American beauty.

There is a strange upside to this all, since the Christianist right is embracing this girl as some sort of second coming of Christ. Appearing on Dr. James Dobson's radio show, Prejean said that she was being tempted by Satan, and that she believes herself to be a witness for God in her crusade against gay marriage.

Carrie Prejean looks and struts like a porn star, yet talks like Billy Graham. She's more than willing to expose her body to sell lingerie or to tempt men, but she calls herself a moral Christian.

None of this really makes any sense at all. It's like someone declaring that the human body is dirty and shameful, and then getting naked at a nudist resort. It's wacko talk.

Wait, I said there was an upside. The fact that Prejean posed nude, the fact that she had breast implants, and the fact that she is a beauty queen who struts near naked to be judged on her attractiveness to men, has not prevented her from becoming a role model for Christian women. The sexual side of this whole affair has been rendered moot, immaterial, inconsequential.

In an era where all type of nudity is taboo, when kids are being prosecuted for taking nude photos of themselves, along comes Carrie Prejean and her sexed-up image to make nudity a Christian value.

Now Prejean's nude photos are far from being nudist or naturist, but in comparison the family-friendly clothes-free experience seems pretty tame compared to what the right wing is willing to accept from the beauty queen. It's as if the Christianists decided that there was no way to win the culture wars, so they took on someone who looks like a porn star to help get the funds rolling back in.

The political battle over abortion is all but dead with Obama getting ready to make the first of what should be several appointments to The Supreme Court. Gay marriage is now the big demon, but the tide of states approving same-sex unions is likely too big to stop. The only hope for the Christianists is to maintain it as a political football throughout the south, the last bastion for dying conservative philosophies, and prevent a 50 state sweep. And what better person to lead that effort than the Anita Bryant of the 21st Century, Carrie Prejean.

This is the time for nudism and naturism. The economy is in shambles, the Moral Majority is tied to the hull of the Pequod and sinking, and the new spokesperson for the Christianists is a bimbo. It's a perfect storm for lobbying for more public land to be set aside for clothes-free use, not only as a benefit to naturists, but for local communities looking to fill their coffers with new found revenue.

If the moralists think that the sight of Carrie Prejean looks pretty good, then they have little to oppose when it comes to a few nude beaches here and there.

NAC and Vermont Reach Agreement on Lake Willoughby

The Associated Press is reporting that The Naturist Action Committee and the state of Vermont have reached an agreement on preserving the ecosystem of Lake Willoughby so it can remain a nude beach. Clothes-free sunbathers agree not to move plants, cut trees, alter streams or build structures of fires.

Florida County Debates Nude Beaches

Florida may soon see another nude beach, but naturists fear that the ultimate location will be undesirable.

Boca Chica Beach abutting Naval Air Station Key West has become the de facto nude beach in the Lower Keys, as it is secluded and rarely patrolled by sheriff's deputies. However, naturists consider it seedy. Key West naturist Tracy Leigh chooses not to go Boca Chica, as the beach has no bathrooms or facilities and is not well maintained. The beach has gained a reputation as a cruising area for gay men looking to have casual sex. Leigh is lobbying for a safe beach she can go to with her children and grandchildren."Most of the places do not provide for a family and there is no benefit to the community," said Leigh, who added that South Florida Free Beaches raises money for local charities such as AIDS Help, and that clothing-optional beaches provide revenue to municipalities through parking fees.

Florida naturists have proven to be good citizens and deserve a little respect from the people who collect their taxes. On a positive note, the majority of the Monroe County commissioners agree that a nude public beach would be good for tourism, but there are concerns over locating it at Higgs Beach because it would be "difficult to shield naked sunbathers and swimmers from children at the neighboring Astro City Park and pedestrians on the White Street Pier."

This is nonsensical thinking for two obvious reasons. First of all, there is no evidence that the sight of people sunbathing nude on a beach is harmful to any person of any age, and if a person is offended by the sight of nude people, he or she doesn't have to look, and nudists are not going to care if anyone can see them. Secondly, what better way to keep out the undesirables than to make the beach out in the open, thereby ensuring that people are on their best behavior.

I would expect that at first there might be an influx of voyeurs, but once the curious and the kooky begin to realize that there's nothing titillating about a bunch of average nude bodies soaking in the sun, they will crawl back into their lairs.

Keep it out in the open, Florida, it's the only way to keep nude beaches safe for people of all ages.

Best Nude Beaches in Australia

The Sydney Morning Herald published a nice article on the best nude beaches in Australia.

"They tend to put nudist beaches in the most difficult and awkward locations to get to and as far away from civilisation as possible," says Barbara Rolfe, 33, an IT test manager who took up nudism with her partner three years ago.

Rolfe frequents nude (or "clothing-optional") beaches in summer and nude swimming pool nights in winter. She says a wide variety of people share her passion for living au naturel — from lawyers to hippies to the very straight-laced.

"It attracts people from all walks of life and from all age groups," she says. "For me being a nudist is about the freedom to be able to be myself (and) to be happy with my body to the point where I don't feel I have to hide it."

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