As a Pagan and a nudist I find no shame in my, or anyone else’s, nude body. To the contrary, I find the nude body one of the most beautiful expressions of our humanness, a celebration of our connection with nature and with each other. As Walt Whitman reminds us, it is not nakedness that is indecent, “It is your thought, your sophistication, your fear, your respectability, that is indecent. There come moods when these clothes of ours are not only too irksome to wear, but are themselves indecent.” Whitman’s words truly speak to me. We are taught to believe our bodies are unnatural and must be hidden from view. Little children care not whether they are dressed. We must not be like little children, we are taught. I would ask, why? Nothing is finer on a hot day then to feel the sun and the breeze on your skin, to be truly free and naked in this great world of ours.

What of our fellow beings who insist on wearing those indecent clothes? Should we as nudists force ourselves to cloak ourselves in this indecency to avoid “offending” those others? Unscientific polls within nudist venues usually point to an overwhelming response of yes, as nudists we must not offend those who find our (and their) naked bodies offensive. By doing so nudists are buying into the same oppression which forces the majority of Amerika to see their bodies as dirty, offensive, disgusting, and obscene. If we as nudists truly believe our bodies are not offensive we should not worry about offending others, because as Father Whitman tells us, it is their thought which is indecent, not our bodies. We are not forcing our nudity on them any more then they are forcing their clothing tyranny on us.

If we buy into these discriminatory and oppressive institutions then we are no better than those who would oppress us. We must learn to recognize these systems which seek to negate our humanity and work towards constructing new ways to resist them. We will not achieve resistance or change by mainstreaming. Some would suggest markers indicating our success can be seen by the growth of the nudist “industry”. I can see no such success when we are still segregated and nudist options are only available to the wealthy who can afford to partake in this “growing” industry. True success will only come when nudist recreational options are open to all, everywhere, regardless of ability to pay. When our bodies, and nudism, are seen as wholesome, natural alternatives and not something to titillate. When women, people of color, and queer folk feel comfortable (safe) enough to participate without the necessity of artificially imposed gender quotas to create a false sense of security for some.

We who see the necessity of wearing coverings on warm summer days as indecent should be willing to stand up for what we consider decent and wholesome, our bodies, our humanity, our selves. Only then will we begin to experience change and success for everyone.