It’s a Tuesday morning, the infinite blue sky of Byron Bay has opened up and the six naturists – four men, two women – have stripped down to their birthday suits for a quick dip in the buff.
This section of beach – an 800-metre stretch along the vast coastline – forms the only legal clothing-optional beach in the shire. Among those taking advantage of the opportunity to be out in the open is Duncan James, vice-president of Northern Rivers Naturists, who is something of an evangelist for “embracing the beach as Mother Nature intended.”
“Many of the beach users have described the clothing-optional beach as their happy place, a place where they can disconnect from modern day stresses, a place they can feel at one with nature,” he says.
There is, however, a metaphorical cloud on the horizon. On Sunday, Tyagarah is set to be stripped of its status as an official clothing-optional beach.
“I guess these values aren’t shared by New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS], who are hell-bent on closing one of Byron’s last alternative community hubs and experiences,” James says.
Recently, some solid gold asshole tried to close one of the two nude beaches in our city by getting a playground installed on it (the nude beach is in the wealthy part of town, nestled between $6.2m dollar homes in a neighborhood that only recently become staggeringly wealthy. The beach itself is tiny, but heavily used.
Luckily, hundreds and hundreds of people showed up at the tiny community center, all in favor of protecting the nude beach. People were packed in, and a line stretched out deep into the lobby and out the main doors. They keep trying to close it, but people love it too much. Realistically, the city needs more nude beaches, not less. Beach goer cars line the neighborhood for blocks, and the park and bike racks are always completely full.
Someday I hope to build up the courage to visit/participate a nudist beach. It seems far more comfortable and “normal” in Europe than in the States from my travels. Remarkably humanizing.
There’s one in my area of Florida. It’s the busiest part of the beach lol. Other people get judgy if you tell them you go, but the people there are super normal. It’s really more about yourself being free in nature. If you go to ogle at people you’ll be disappointed and also unwelcome, naturists don’t generally tolerate creeps. They like to keep it chill and everyone interacts like any other beach. Occasionally there’s even kids there.
But it’s technically illegal in the state… But the cops turn a blind eye and haven’t gone after it (it’s been this way for decades). The (federally run) park even put up signs to warn that you made encounter “nude sunbathers” at a certain part of the beach.
North Fla resident here, where’s the beach you’re talking about?
Occasionally there’s even kids there.
Ew ew ew ew ew ew no. Just…just no.
Before I wasn’t going to go because I’m not comfortable with my own body. NOW I’ll never go, because I assumed it was 21+. I don’t mind catching a glimpse of adult male nudity (I’m a straight male), because at least it’s an adult consenting to it. But I DO NOT want to see 8 year olds running around naked. Both from a standpoint of I don’t want to see it, AND from the standpoint that I don’t want others knowing they can go there to see it.
Think about it. Prior to 2012 or whatever year it was, NOBODY would have thought anything wrong with Jarod from subway going to a nude beach. But would you want your 8 year old at the same nude beach as Jarod??? Nobody knew he was into that, and the only reason you know now is because it made the news. The people in your neighborhood WON’T make the news.
There are various search tools online to see who in your neighborhood has been placed on the sex offender registry. Of the 37 houses on my street, 24 of them have had some form of sexual based arrest since the 1970s.
Can YOU pick out the predators based on visual glimpse? I can’t.
I swam naked in the fountain at our towns courthouse as a child, and it was fine. You’re weird and creepy.
Username checks out
Not sure why what I said is so unpopular? Basically I don’t want to see naked kids, and don’t want others to know of a place to look at naked kids.
And that’s…somehow me being crazy?
Not sure why what I said is so unpopular
There’s only one person in this thread sexualizing kids being naked.
First off, I’m not sexualizing them.
Secondly, I’m not worried about people in this thread sexualizing them. I’m worried about people on the beaches in person sexualizing them for years. Eventually they act on it. Four of my neighbors raped kids before they got arrested. And a guy roughly 15 streets from me kidnapped and raped 3 teenage girls for 15 years, before one eventually broke out of his basement. My sister was raped in the 80s when she was a teen. There are rapists all around.
What’s so different about a kid being naked compared to an adult being naked? Also, if you don’t want to see naked kids, just… don’t look at them? I don’t get what your problem is here.
Well, I know kids today aren’t being raised with the same protections I was as a kid. Kids swear more often now, see more violent tv than I did, and see sex more often than I did.
However I still maintain that kids should be treated as if they are as innocent as I was as a kid. I didn’t know what sex was until puberty, and thats the way it should be. Let them have a childhood.
You start making it known “hey, this is a place where naked kids are”, then you’ll inevitably have people going there specifically to see the naked kids. And you’ll never know which ones are doing that. Nobody suspects the pedophile until they’re caught…which tells me the uncaught ones are just out there consequence free.
And as far as “just not looking”, I covered this with the naked guys. I don’t mind seeing the naked guy, even though I don’t want to. You’re going to see it if you’re there. It’s just going to at some point be in your visual line of sight. With adults, at least they’re consenting adults who understand that any visitor to that beach, at anytime might sexualize them in their own mind. Children can’t consent to that, because they don’t understand the severity of the situation.
These prudes would be terrified of San Francisco, whole city is clothing optional. No one ever really does it cause it’s too cold though saw a couple out today for pride. Sucks there banning it in a place that would actually be comfortable to do it.
San Francisco is not actually clothing optional. Full nudity is mostly illegal. You have to cover the genitals
Have you been to SF? So many genitals
I live there
have you been to Detroit? there’s robbery. guess it’s legal there
This thread must be mind-blowing for Americans.
Not really, were used to good things getting banned.
We have nude beaches just not as common.
But you knew that already
You have nude public beaches like in Europe? Where?
I don’t know why you continue to pretend like you don’t know. I mean you got your 6 upvotes by lying, what purpose does it serve to continue to lie? Weird. Are you hoping for another upvote or something? It’s a week old comment, that isn’t likely.
https://amazingworld.travel/nude-beaches-usa/
Anyway have fun with your karma farming.
Never lied. Also, you don’t seem like a very pleasant person. Lighten up.
Nah you lied the alternative was that you were giving your opinion on a subject you didn’t know about.
Didn’t lie. Just pointed out that many Americans are prudes. The truth is not a lie.
Second lie.
Its a cultural thing, in Japan and Europe its the opposite, nudity is considered less extreme than violence