What is Obscene?

Well, in Texas it's "anything tangible that is capable of being used or adapted to arouse sexual interest". In a recent raid of 3 retail establishments, police confiscated over 2000 items that might fit this definition, and the store owners face a four thousand dollar fine or up to a year in jail if convicted in a trial. This really is sheer madness to waste taxpayer dollars to try and suppress the human sexual drive. Better that people are allowed to express their sexuality through masturbation than to force them into seeking alternative means of stimulation. I certainly hope that they confiscated all of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, because there is no way that anyone can argue that those beautiful woman in provocative poses is meant for anything other than to arouse adolescent males. Grow up America, this sort of cultural ignorance only serves to prove to the rest of the world that we are simply out of our minds.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Weekend Newds

• New Zealand naturists are comfortable in their own skin.
• A British ad for a shower gel has been pulled by the Advertising Standards authority just because the naked model looked too young and could be mistaken for a child.
• A South Carolina buyer has withdrawn from a land deal that would have created a naturist community.
• An Ohio Prosecutor who was arrested for being seen nude on a security camera in a government building has pled not guilty by reason of insanity, and has been ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation.
• A former London magistrate spent over $600,000 for a woman do do his housekeeping wearing nothing but rubber gloves.
• Actress Anne Hathaway has a good attitude about nudity. She says, "I grew up studying classic painters. They certainly didn't shy away from nudes. I don't find anything morally reprehensible about it."I think it is different to pose in a pair of hotpants on the cover of Stuff magazine. That's something I'm just not interested in doing."
• Click here for the results of the 2006 Naturist Education Foundation/Roper Poll on American attitudes on nude sunbathing.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Daily Newds

• Christina Aguilera and her husband spend Sundays naked together.
• A group of Canadian women have posed for a nude fundraising calendar. Many of the women have masectomies or are undergoing cancer treatment.
• A Watkins Glen streaker has been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Weekend Newds

• Topfree equality advocates scored a big victory when a Florida appeals court ruled that women can protest bare breasted. Cheers to Elizabeth book who believes that nudity laws are applied unfairly to women.
• Environmentalists in the UK have staged a naked bike ride.
• Nudists in Dawsonville, Georgia, are no longer hiding. "By opening up to the public, we demystify what we have," said Dean Hadley, the resort's manager. "A lot of people don't understand what this is all about. By demystifying it, people understand us better - and people don't think we're a bunch of crackpots."

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

If a Tree Falls in the Forest...

...and nobody is around, does it make a sound? The same question can be applied to an Ohio City Prosecutor who has been arrested and charged with two counts of public indecency for being naked in a government building after hours. The catch is that he was alone, and nobody complained, but he was seen by a guard monitoring a security camera.

Now I don't know why the man was naked, perhaps he's a nudist and just enjoys the freedom, and since he was alone, it seemed to be harmless. There is nothing I have read that would lead me to believe that his behavior was sexual or offensive - he was apparently just naked. This article mentions that he was recently in a bad automobile accident so perhaps this could have something to do with his state of mind.

But it seems to me that there are better ways to handle situations like these. Did anyone even try and talk to this man and ask him why he was naked? Maybe he would have simply put his clothes back on and that could have been the end of it. Another solution would be to have spoken with the man's family to try and ascertain if he's just a nudist or if there are other issues.

Arresting this man for simply being nude and alone seems to me to be an overreaction on the part of officials, even if it was in a "government building". It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.

Update 10/11 - It looks like the defense will be that a brain injury that led to the man's nudity, although it was also revealed that he was nude at the time of his automobile accident, suggesting a pattern.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen and William H. Macy Are all Naked

John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen and William H. Macy all get naked for a new movie - pictures here.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Daily Newds

• Victoria Beckham, one of the most photographed women in the world, has body image issues.
• Ralph Fiennes enjoys naked yoga.
• A Federal Judge has ruled that photos can be pornographic even if there is no nudity.
• The Natura Christian Fellowship wants to build a nudist community with 150 homes in Belton, South Carolina.
• When Holland America's Maasdam sets sail to the Caribbean in February, the first thing most of the 1,250 passengers will do is shed their clothes.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Weekend Newds

• Friends of a Devon library in the U.K. have bared all to protest a planned closing of the facility.
• A man walked into a Pennsylvania convenience store, and when he went behind the counter, the clerk began handing over the money, but all the man did was take off his clothes.
• Townspeople of all ages in Hawick, Scotland, will get naked for a calendar to raise money for Christmas lights.
• A Charlotte gallery is devoting a show to the nude in art.
• A naked model walked down the runway during Paris Fashion Week.
• There is a difference between "nude" and "naked".
• Fall films contain a lot of nudity.
• Another fundraising nude calendar features an 82 year-old woman who loves her pit bull.
• A London perfume shop featured models who were naked except for the fragrances they wore.
• Members of a Connecticut men's gardening club have stripped for a nude calendar. "Maybe everybody has some desire to be naked, if they have the opportunity," said (Richard) Prentice, a retired science teacher.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Nude Calendars Among the Fresh Produce

A Holliston, Massachusetts, nude calendar created as a fundraiser for the Agriculture Commission is available at local farm stands.

Selectman Andy Porter sits for April 2007, posed at Lil Folk Farm while feeding Hunter, his pet alpaca. He said officials’ ability to set aside differences for what is "best for the town" makes efforts like the new calendar possible. Despite the naked pictures of town leaders, there has not been a strong response to the calendar. "I’m surprised the reaction is so low-key," said Porter, who is prepared for own Meeting on Oct. 30. "I plan to bring my alpaca."

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Do Not Admit

The Lake Como nudist resort in Florida had placed ex-Congressman Mark Foley on its "do not admit" list, three years after he unfairly compared their summer camp for children to child pornography and molestation web sites.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

West Virginia Senator in Nude Photo Scandal

West Virginia State Senator Randy White is vowing to continue his campaign for a second term in spite of some embarrassing photos that were aired on a local television station that show him nude along with a couple of other men who are wearing only body paint.

Unlike the Mark Foley scandal on Capitol Hill, there is no evidence that White did anything wrong, and whatever the reason for the photos, they were made in private with other adults.

The reason for airing the photos in the first place is highly questionable, except to embarrass and/or smear the senator in a political campaign. There seems to be absolutely no restraint on the part of news organizations in what and how "news" is reported. There was a time when any responsible editor would have refused to run with this non-story. In the Foley matter, some organizations, including Florida newspapers and even Fox News, had the original "overly-friendly" Foley e-mails, and the determination was made that there was not enough evidence to run the story. Even the FBI made the decision not to investigate Foley back in July.

But here we have a private photograph, which I have not seen, that shows this senator nude. Any nudist/naturist that has a nude photo on the Internet had better write off any political ambitions now. Until this society comes to terms with itself that the human body is inherently a good thing, and that as adults we are all entitled to our privacy when it comes to sexuality, we had all better be very careful who might be watching and who might want to do us harm.

While I unconditionally condemn any person, gay or straight, that attempts to exploit the immature sexuality of a teenager, I support the Senator in West Virginia in his decision to stay in the race and work to overcome this attempt to smear his character.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Nude Race at Roskilde Festival in Denmark

The Roskilde Music Festival in Denmark was held earlier this summer, but these photos of the nude race are worth viewing.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Daily Newds

• Britney Spears is apparently a nudist.
• The Cortes Ecoforesty Society in Canada received so many photos that it has produced a double nude calendar.
• A group of Irish women who are breast cancer survivors have posed nude for a fundraising calendar.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Disgraced Foley Attacked Nudist Camps

Hypocrisy knows no bounds. In 1993, pedophile stalker and former Representative Mark Foley once tried to discredit a Florida nudist resort. At the time he was running for Bob Graham's Senate seat and was using this as a button-pushing issue. Look, the AANR and all legit nudist organizations do everything possible to protect ALL the children and adults who come to their facilities in search of non-sexual nude recreation. Too bad that the same cannot be said for the Congress of the United States that KNEW this guy Foley was a problem and, for the sake of maintaining political power, left this pedophile in his position as co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus. And, according to AmericaBlog.com, was allowed to stay close to pages AFTER they knew he had issues. Like the bishops in the Catholic Church, the Republican Congressional Leaders made the decision to protect their own asses instead of looking out for the young people who look up to them for guidance and example. Shame, shame, shame.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

Confessions

This photo is a self portrait of me when I was about 22 way back in 1976.

It took until 2005 before I had the courage to admit that I was a nudist, and it's one of the best things I have ever done. To wake up nude, and not put on any clothes after a shower are just a couple of life's small pleasures.

Over the past year I have had time to reevaluate my past in terms of nudity, and there were a surprising number of instances where my true self attempted to emerge.

I've stated before that as a child I had lots of experience with social nudity, from swimming at the YMCA, to skinny-dipping in lakes, and experiencing gang showers in high school. None of these experiences ever seemed the slightest bit traumatic or abnormal, either to me or any of my friends. Perhaps the skinny-dipping, done in broad daylight when I was around 11 or 12, was in our minds as being a bit taboo, but we had great fun doing it and we knew that this was really the way we were intended to swim.

Oddly enough, after high school all of that changed. I think now that my nudist tendencies were suppressed by circumstance rather than some sort of inner transformation. When I went to college I lived in a coed dorm - 2 floors of women, and one level for men. This situation forced us all to be more modest than we might otherwise have been. There was always at least a towel around our waists when walking to and from the shower. Also, the showers on the men's level were all private stalls since it was originally an all-women's dorm, so we never saw each other naked on a regular basis. It's as if the closed stalls were telling us to keep our bodies to ourselves.

Now I'm talking about non-sexual nudity here, I have never been inhibited when it came to sexual situations. No lights off under the covers for me.

But in group social situations, there was never any nudity. I do think that this is part of the problem that American society has with the human body, that we are conditioned to think that nudity equals sex and vice-versa. Back in college, if I had been stark naked in the corridor when a woman walked onto our floor, there would likely have been an incident. But if we were naked together in a dorm room by mutual consent with the door locked, that would have been OK.

There was one time when my girlfriend and I went to visit another couple in their apartment. After a couple of bottles of wine, we began to play cards and someone suggested poker. One thing led to another and soon we were all taking off our clothes. At first it was sexual - once we were all naked, someone spun the wine bottle and we began kissing and hugging each other. And then our hosts suggested that we all move into the bedroom.

Now 3 out of 4 of us were agreeable. I don't think that this would have been a partner-swapping situation, but certainly we were ready to have sex in front of one another. But my girlfriend balked at the notion, and that was fine, and nobody made an issue out of it. Our hosts opened another bottle of wine and we all stayed in the living room and watched some television. Oh, and we did not bother to put our clothes back on, it was a hot night, and since we already now knew what we all looked like naked, getting dressed seemed unnecessary. That night we all ended up being nudists.

After getting married and having a child, there were no other instances of social nudity. As a father with a daughter, I became very modest and virtually never walked around naked, although we let our daughter run around in the buff all she wanted. The responsibility of parenthood is very great, and the pressure to "do the right thing" sometimes can overcome common sense and practicality. Looking back now, I wish that my wife and I were practicing nudists, it would have been great to have shared that freedom together as a family.

But the nudist in me was still alive. I can tell you honestly that I've always hated wearing clothes, I specifically remember going to work in a jacket and tie on hot days and feeling like I was going to suffocate. And I always slept in just a pair of briefs for as long as I can remember, I was never a pajama person.

During summer breaks from college I was often alone at my parent's house during the day when they were at work. They had a nice secluded piece of land and I would go out nude sunbathing whenever I could. I was also studying photography and took many nude self-portraits, one of these is at the top of this post. But I did all of this in relative secrecy as if I was doing something to be ashamed of.

But after my marriage all of this stopped completely. It's just the way things were. But I did continue to do something in secret that nobody ever knew about - whenever I knew that I was going to be alone for an extended period of time, I took off all of my clothes around the house. I know now that this was just the nudist in me trying to tell me something. I also did this in secret, never telling my wife because I believed that she would simply not understand.

So last year I began being naked more and more as our daughter was away at school and my wife was out of the house a lot. And if you go back and read my very first posts from that period, you will see that I finally let my nudist self emerge.

All married couples hide something from one another. It's usually not a good thing. My desire to be nude was something that I could easily suppress, and by letting this side of me go dormant was not damaging to our marriage. Had my wife reacted negatively to my nudity when I finally told her, this might have been a much different story. But she loves me for who I am, and while her first reactions to the naked me were a mixture or puzzlement and laughter, she now is perfectly accepting and even encourages me.

I am naked now most of the time. If you are already a nudist or naturist you understand perfectly how much better life is without clothes. I hope that all of you reading this who have similar feelings will act upon them and not be ashamed. Letting go of thousands of years or clothed social history is not easy at first. and there are many out there who will never be able to overcome the false shame brought about by religious indoctrination. You are all already naked, it's the clothes that are unnatural and unnecessary. Free your body, the mind will follow.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked

The Weekend Newds

• A Connecticut writer discovers that art is the "most vivid example of nudity's ability to move artistic mediums to new levels".
• Andy Garcia will not do nude scenes because it would upset his family and friends.
• In Ireland, a lack of nude art models is forcing the cancellation of life drawing classes.
• "Naked friendships" and "mixed bathing" in Japanese bathhouses are coming under new rules as concerns rise about the sexual abuse of children.
• A Grinnell College student has a problem with male streakers.
• Here's another Texas editorial written in support of the Frisco teacher who was suspended over nude art.

Tags: nudism, naturism, nudist, nudists, naturist, naturists, nudity, nudes, bare, au naturel, nude, naked