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September 2018 President's Message
by Richard Mason
Naturist Action Committee and Naturist Education Foundation protect your right to nude recreation year-round
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South Florida — A Naturist Perspective
[Adapted from the September 2018 installment of Richard's monthly column in NUSA Sun]
This year marks my wife, Shirley's and my 38th year as card-carrying nudists / naturists. We have always felt we were part a family within a community of like folks who had discovered, on their own, the secret joys of being nude in nature. Whether on a beach or within the comfort of a nudist resort, the cleanliness of the natural environment always seemed to have a personal sensuousness within my spirit.
After the initial joy of the nakedness was absorbed, and it was time to socialize with our fellow nude folks, I always found there were no strangers in this atmosphere of paradise.
In the beginning, we found that, because of societal biases and misunderstanding against nudity itself as well as social nudity, we had to keep our social nudity a community secret. We did inform both our families and our close friends, however. At the start, Shirley's daughter was seven years old and, because we never felt shame, we took her with us to nudist resorts and later to naturist beaches.
Nude recreation is a healthy form of recreation for the family. If it were not a family form of recreation, not only would children be denied the physical and mental health and the family bonding of the social, nude experience, but it would also be classified as an "adults-only" activity. As such, it would become suspect, with cities, counties, and states passing laws to control, restrict, or ban it.
As discussed at left, much of the success in the continuation of nude recreation can be attributed to the efforts of national and local nudist / naturist associations and nudist resorts. Most card-carrying nudists / naturists know this, but some readers, perhaps even while sitting on a designated, nude beach, may be unaware of nude recreation beyond that. We must inform them of the full spectrum of nude recreation, its social, family atmosphere, and the mutual responsibilities of each participant.
On a separate note, September is the month when the Florida legislature starts meeting in Tallahassee, the state capital, to establish committees, to introduce and seek co-sponsors for bills and amendments, etc. in preparation for the following spring's legislative session. While the purpose of some bills touching on nudity is to correct wrongs or the lack of clarity in existing law, most aim to take away your rights.
Our lobbyist, Ramon Maury, will be reading hundreds of bills to flag any of concern to naturist interests, and his efforts will be supplemented by those of the Naturist Action Committee (NAC), which uses specialized software to search bills nationwide for key words that indicate a potential, negative effect on nude recreation. Read more about NAC and Ramon at left.
Finally, see below for the status of the 2019 Keep Our Beaches Bare fundraising raffle, featuring prizes of nude Caribbean cruises and stays at naturist resorts. |
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| Yoga at Lupin Lodge in Los Gatos, CA |
As of this writing, I had just returned to Miami from Los Gatos, CA, which is next to San Jose and about an hour's drive south of San Francisco. I was at Lupin Lodge, a nudist resort, attending the annual Board of Directors meeting of the Naturist Action Committee (NAC) and the Naturist Education Foundation (NEF). Both organizations are directed by the same Board, to which I was elected in 2017 for a three-year term.
If you visit that area of California, Lupin Lodge is a must! It's set on a few hundred wooded acres with all the amenities of a resort — restaurant, pool, rental cabins and yurts, and camping and RV (caravan) facilities. They're good people with a great attitude.
At the same time in mid-summer, The Naturist Society (TNS) Foundation was also holding its annual Western Naturist Gathering at Lupin Lodge. Both NAC and NEF are nonprofit corporations, founded by the late Lee Baxandall as adjuncts to TNS, which Lee had also founded previously. NAC deals primarily with issues of nude recreation on public lands and engages in lobbying, while NEF supports projects with an educational mission.
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| Click or tap on banner for summary of NEF 2015 US poll. |
For example, NEF periodically commissions and publishes an independent, professional survey of opinions on public nudity and helped underwrite the highly informative, 20-page Guidebook to the Naturist Beach, created by South Florida Free Beaches, Inc. / Florida Naturist Association (SFFB/FNA). Several editions of the beach guide, encompassing more than 80,000 copies, have been printed and distributed on Haulover Beach as well as handed out to elected and appointed government officials.
NEF also sponsors several annual monetary, scholastic awards for naturist college students and youth camp attendees. (Naturist parents and students, use the preceding links to find out more and to apply at any time.) Moreover, NEF maintains the Naturist Education Foundation Research Library, the world's largest scholarly collection of naturist materials.
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| Click or tap on image to watch video on NEF Research Library. |
(See video and related article in the October 2017 issue.) NEF is recognized by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) foundation, meaning that donations to it are mainly tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. The Chairman of both NAC and NEF is Bill Schroer, a longtime naturist, former NAC/NEF Treasurer, former Executive Director of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR), and proprietor of Nuance Naturist Bed & Breakfast near Battle Creek, MI. Bill is dedicated to the recognition of naturism as a legal and legitimate recreational option.
In addition to spearheading direct, grassroots action, NAC has financially supported the hiring of lobbyists and attorneys in several states and in Washington, DC to help prevent the passage of anti-nudity legislation by state legislatures as well as anti-nudity regulations by state agencies and the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Park Service. While NAC and NEF share one paid Executive Director, all the other work they have executed over the years has been carried out by Board members, Area Representatives, and other volunteers, who have donated their time and money to prevent "mere nudity" from becoming a crime.
It's unfortunate that many nudists are unaware of these constant, year-round efforts on their behalf to keep nude recreation legal. If you'd like to support the continuous work of NAC and/or NEF, you can do so by mailing a check or, preferably, donating on line at naturistaction.org/
donate and/or naturisteducation.org/donate, respectively. (Use preceding links for donation instructions.)
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Jay Sekulow, attorney for religious right
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Whether it pertains to top-free equality (see related article below) or being nude in a public park or on a beach in a location of traditional nude use, there has been a constant effort by the political and religious right to end it all. Starting in 1990, the legal brain behind all of the anti-nudity schemes and proposed statutes and ordinances has been an attorney by the name of Jay Sekulow. Working with Pat Robertson, the Christian Coalition, and the so-called Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly, Alliance Defense Fund), a political agency of several conservative, religious groups, he wrote the legislative templates and marshaled the resources to get them introduced and passed into law in numerous states, counties, and cities.
More than 30 counties in Florida have anti-nudity ordinances, all drafted by elements of the above-mentioned groups, which are still active and a threat. While things have been a little quiet lately on this front, one must be aware that Sekulow, who hosts a live, daily TV and radio show on a religious network, is currently one of President Donald Trump's personal attorneys.
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Ramon Maury, SFFB's paid lobbyist
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During last year's Florida legislative session (see related article in the April 2017 issue), Ramon Maury, SFFB's paid lobbyist in Tallahassee, Florida's capital, discovered and worked with its author to neutralize a proposed amendment to Florida Statute 800.04 (Lewdness; Indecent Exposure) that would have made an adult being nude in front of a child a serious crime as indecent exposure upon a minor. If that amendment had passed, the enemies of nude beaches would only have had to bring a minor onto a beach like Haulover Beach and everyone that was nude would have had to get dressed. Nudist parks and resorts would have become adult businesses with the potential problems that go with that classification.
Ramon is also the lobbyist for AANR-Florida (Florida Region of AANR) and for Tampa Area Naturists (TAN), a chapter group with B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute, which is SFFB's 501(c)(3) nonprofit, educational and charitable adjunct. SFFB, B.E.A.C.H.E.S., AANR-Florida, and other clothing-optional beach mentoring groups in Florida have an excellent working relationship. This has resulted in not only stopping some anti-nudity legislation, but also helping secure nude use of Blind Creek Beach on Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce, FL and soon, we hope, additional beaches on Florida's East and West Coasts. Stay informed; be involved!
Meanwhile, if you are not a current sponsor / member of South Florida Free Beaches, please consider becoming one — numbers matter. At $35 per year for your household, it costs just 67¢ per week. A key benefit is the continued, clothing-optional use of Haulover Beach. How much is that worth to you? Join or renew at sffb.com.
SFFB also has a separate Legal Defense & Political Action Fund that supports its government affairs efforts and assists individuals cited for nude sunbathing. Even if you're not ready to (re)join just yet, please consider donating to this fund (not tax-deductible) to help with current challenges. Donations by bank check should be mailed to the address below (in e-mail version of newsletter). Thanks!
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Beach Ambassador training
Do you spend a lot of time on Miami's nude beach? If so, you have a chance to give back by volunteering as a Beach Ambassador (BA) to help maintain naturist standards on Haulover Beach and keep it safely nude for all to enjoy. Sign up for and attend a training to become part of a wonderful corps of volunteers.
BAs serve as beach monitors and greeters, a combination of block watch and welcome wagon. For their service, BAs at Haulover Beach get a cool hat, ID badge, and free parking on their duty days. Seasonal residents are welcome to participate.
The next Beach Ambassador training, tentatively a comprehen-sive, two-day session for Haulover and other Florida clothing-optional beaches, present and future, is scheduled in South Florida over the September 28-30 weekend (new dates since last month's issue). If you have any questions or wish to sign up for a training session, contact Ken.
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Hearing scheduled in Ocean City, MD top-free lawsuit
In last month's issue, we reported that, on July 27, the Town of Ocean City, MD, the defendant in a lawsuit by five women against the Town's emergency ordinance prohibiting the public exposure of female breasts, filed a motion to dismiss the plaintiffs' request for a preliminary injunction against enforcement while the case proceeds through the courts. On August 27, the judge scheduled a hearing on the preliminary injunction for September 21.
The outcome of the hearing could give a strong indication of the direction of the case. In a memorandum announcing the hearing, the judge included a discussion of the history of the case and relevant precedents. His observations hinted at a possible inclination toward some of the Town's legal arguments. We will monitor this story and bring you updates as they occur. For backround and details, read Judge's memo suggests support for OC's topless ban; Va. precedent cited in court filing.
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B.E.A.C.H.E.S. nude cruise raffle kicks off in September
At press time, B.E.A.C.H.E.S. Foundation Institute was working to line up additional prizes for the Keep Our Beaches Bare fundraising raffle that it runs every year with SFFB. The raffle is expected to launch in September with a separate announcement. Keep an eye out for it!
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SFFB Board meeting on Haulover Beach, September 8
The Board of Directors of South Florida Free Beaches usually meets on the second Saturday of every month at 2:00 p.m. under the North Chickee (thatch-roofed shade structure) near lifeguard tower 15 on Haulover Beach unless another date and time or location is announced. See below for the long-term schedule. Any planned exception to the second Saturday pattern is noted with an asterisk.
The meetings are open to SFFB sponsors / members, supporters, and invited guests. Prior to setting out, check the upper left-hand corner of SFFB's home page at sffb.com (under Today's Beach Reports) for any change in date, time, or location due to unavailability of Board members or in case of bad weather, when the meeting may take place indoors.
Don't miss an SFFB Board meeting — add the schedule to your calendar now!
| September 8, 2018
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October 13, 2018 |
November 10, 2018
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| December 8, 2018
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GNI launches early registration for 2019 men's nude Gathering
Gay Naturists International (GNI) has launched a soft opening of registration for next year's edition of its signature nude event for men, the 34th Annual International Gathering of Male Naturists, also known as the GNI Gathering or Naked Camp. It takes place in a rustic, but comfortable resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, August 16-25, 2019, with shorter attendance options available. The location is about an hour-and-a-half's drive west of New York City, and GNI provides optional bus transportation from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Midtown Manhattan.
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GNI is to provide a formal announcement soon, but is making registration accessible earlier than in the past, when it typically opened in late winter or early spring, to provide the maximum opportunity for registrants to make plans and to take advantage of early registration pricing. Through April 30, 2019, registrants can save up to $40, depending on the length of stay selected. (Regular pricing kicks in on May 1, 2019.)
Nearly 600 men come together at The Gathering for up to ten days of naked fun, camaraderie, education, and relaxation in a beautiful, rustic but comfortable setting with a lake; two heated pools; gym and courts for tennis, volleyball, and other sports; wooded trails; and rolling, manicured grounds.
The registration fee covers housing in dormitory-style cabins (camping optional; RVs welcome, but utility hookups are not available), all meals, snacks, and beverages (including beer and wine), and events, activities, and entertainment (except the optional Body Electric massage weekend workshop, Yoga Foundations for Life weekend retreat, and add-on excursions, which require additional fees).
Regular programming includes seminars and workshops, sports instruction and tournaments, massage and yoga, contests, shows, parties, bonfires, a nightly, naked Dance Club with live DJs and fantastic sound and lights, and much more! The Gathering is open to men aged 21 or over, regardless of orientation. Get info and register.
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