





          Inquiries regarding the following text should be directed to  the
          Naturist organization serving your area:

          Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania:

          National Capital Naturists
          Box 3122
          Fairfax VA  22038


          New Jersey, New York, Connecticut:

          Tri-State Metro Naturists
          Box 1437
          Doylestown PA  07882


          New England states:

          New England Naturists Association
          Box 3209, Wayland Square
          Providence RI  02906

          If these do not serve your area, contact:

          The Naturist Society
          PO Box 132 Dept NCN
          Oshkosh, WI 54902

          [Excerpted  from  "World  Guide  To Nude Beaches and Recreation",
          1983 edition]

                                    Introduction

          Recreation without garments is not today the exotic or the highly
          controversial choice that it once was.  Nude and topless  beaches
          became  a  worldwide  and  popular phenomenon by the start of the
          '80s.  For the young it was difficult to understand how it  could
          be  that  a  half  century earlier,  the foolhardy beach-goer who
          thrust no more than a bare knee or shoulder out of  a  cumbersome
          bathing costume was inviting arrest.

          Now  even  the  Roman Catholic Church sees nudity in a new light.
          Through the centuries popes and their bishops have consigned mil-
          lions to hell for insufficient bodily fear and  shame.  Yet  John
          Paul  II  has stated that the human nakedness that was so central
          to the Garden of Eden was  a  "universal"  and  "luminal"  event,
          aiding  the  male and female to perceive the common humanity they
          shared.

          Undoubtedly it is so: social nudity permits us  to  heighten  our
          awareness  of  how  much  we are like one another and how equally
          vulnerable we are. In turn we may learn to lessen our fear of the
          gaze of another.  The arbitrary and fragmenting barriers of  sex,
          class,  and  social position are lowered,  as individuals grow in
          sensitivity  and  dispense  with  the  trappings  of  difference,
          privilege,  and fear. The individual can thereby be strengthened,
          the alienated recovered and revitalized.







          Nature in this sense-'Naturism'-is conducive to  perspective  and
          health.  It  is  foolish to equate all of Nature with moral good.
          Yet Nature nourishes, conditions, and finally, restores us.  When
          the  culture  into which we are born strays too far from Nature's
          laws, we suffer; a 'Naturalization' is in order.  The restoration
          of  Nature's balances will,  in turn,  make it possible for us to
          more completely humanize our culture.

          Why not try recreation in the nude??  After all,  you could never
          imagine the taste of chocolate if you have never tried it!  Let's
          face it.  If we haven't tried  it,  we've  seen  others  enjoying
          clothes-optional  recreation: a bunch of college kids blowing off
          steam after  mid-terms  splashing  around  in  the  Chattahoochee
          River.  A  group of bicyclists soothing their tired legs in a hot
          spring in Colorado.  A sandy beach with  crystal  blue  surf  and
          golden rays pouring down inviting us to relax Naturally.  Who can
          resist?

                                 Taking the Plunge!

          Have you spent all your adult years without once going  naked  in
          an outdoor, sociable, recreational setting? Going through life as
          a clothes-compulsive personality can be hard on a person.  Harder
          than you will ever realize if you do not try the clothes-optional
          alternative.  And trying it is easy.  You won't think twice about
          it once you've broken through the anxiety barrier.

          Thinking  it  through  in  private  is one way to get ready to go
          public.  There's an etiquette to clothes-optional beaches  as  to
          all  public situations.  Once you get the hang of how people make
          themselves comfortable while naked among  others,  you  are  home
          free.

          You'll  find  it  easier  if you first visit a nonproblematic and
          well-established nude recreation site in the company  of  friends
          who are versed in the etiquette of the place.

          Remember, you will be with men and women who, after growing up in
          clothes-compulsive  society,  had to themselves become acclimated
          to nude living.  In many ways they are not unlike yourself,  save
          that  they  have  already  broken  one  of  society's most fierce
          taboos: thou shalt not be vulnerable,  even among those whom  you
          might be able to trust.

          You need not immediately undress if you feel too nervous or self-
          conscious; that will be understood. In your nervousness, however,
          do  not  place  needless  'armor'  between yourself and those you
          encounter: leave the cameras,  sunglasses,  and portable radio at
          home.

          At  least SEEM at ease,  and soon you will convince yourself that
          you do indeed FEEL at ease. Be open to a smile, a word,  a shared
          refreshment. Bring something to share. Don't force the situation.






          Be  receptive.  Your  open  demeanor  will  best say that you are
          'getting it',  that you are glad to be vulnerable,  happy  to  be
          free of unneeded armor.

          After  20 or 30 minutes,  you may find yourself no longer acutely
          aware of being naked;  after a visit or two you may  decide  that
          the  almost-nude beaches where $50 string bikinis are paraded are
          more sexually titillating than a clothes-optional beach.  That is
          certainly  the  case!!  Titillation  sells the product.  When the
          withheld is delivered,  tensions and fears are  erased.  What  is
          Natural  is  more  fulfilling,   though  it  might  not  fit  the
          tantalize-and-deliver sensationalism of our jaded  consumer  cul-
          ture.  As Robin Williams says, 'It is more tantalizing to conceal
          than to reveal'.

          If you are worried about getting an erection,  forget  it.  Maybe
          now you may think it a problem, but once you see what nude living
          is really all about,  and,  especially what it is NOT about,  you
          will feel too relaxed to worry  about  it,  and  that  in  itself
          settles the issue.

          Will people aim cameras,  come-ons, or comments at you? Possibly.
          But the repression of a healthy nudity,  especially for  females,
          has  been  one  of the chief means of mind and destiny control by
          the patriarchy.  The women who take down their straps and lie  on
          their tummies,  then roll over,  get up and walk about naked, are
          shattering the invisible bonds of an inherited sex role.  It  may
          feel  somewhat heroic to put up with the lascivious attentions of
          a beach gawker in Bermuda shorts, socks,  and binoculars,  but it
          is  qualitatively  no  worse  than many street experiences a free
          woman must endure, and the payoff-outgrowing sexist stereoypes-is
          of far greater benefit.

          You will easily break your learned fear of being  naked  and  re-
          adapt  to this experience: you were born naked,  after all.  Just
          ease yourself into a clothes-optional setting without putting  up
          any more defenses than necessary.  The scary questions and hover-
          ing doubts  you  first  had-will  I  be  accepted?  will  I  find
          friends?-will  answer  themselves  as your fears and worries dis-
          solve into the fresh air. You'll find that you are putting behind
          you the obstacles to personal growth,  in ways that you could not
          have imagined before you went clothes-optional.

                                    About the Law

          'The  law' is a possibly hostile element of your new environment.
          But it will not be problem if you first visit  a  private  beach,
          resort,  or club.  Also, remember that the law as administered at
          many public recreational areas is now on our side.

          There is no United  States  federal  law  prohibiting  nudity  on
          federal land.  The National Park Service and U.S.  Forest Service
          both recognize nude recreation-conducted with discretion and sen-
          sitivity to the varying values  of  others-as  a  legitimate  ac-






          tivity.

          Likewise,  in many state, county, and city jurisdictions, includ-
          ing the entire State of Oregon,  the Victorian Age  confusion  of
          nude with lewd is now rejected in the courts.  Accordingly,  law-
          enforcement personnel generally try to avoid citation  or  arrest
          actions  that  could  lead  to  court tests and waste of taxpayer
          funds.  'Nude is not lewd' is the rule of thumb in these  respon-
          sible jurisdictions.

          Too  many  painful  and ridiculous incidents still do occur.  In-
          dividuals  are  misjudged-by  elected  or  appointed   government
          employees-as  lascivious social deviates for enjoying the victim-
          less 'crime' or,  more recently,  the 'misdemeanor',  of innocent
          nudity.  Archaic  social  codes  and  repressive values die hard.
          Nonetheless,  the trend in most of the nation and the world is to
          decriminalization  and  often  to designation of clothes-optional
          zones.

          An  enlightened  culture,   one  that  provides  for   individual
          liberties,  permits  the  clad and the unclad equally to share in
          private  and  public  resources.   We  all  should  endorse  this
          tolerance.  No  possible  good is served by exalting a particular
          dress code as the 'sine qua non' of civilized society.

          Provision not only for the diversity of recreational  choice  but
          also for security,  access,  and site maintenance is the right of
          every citizen.

          The law, then, is not an inherent adversary. In fact the contrary
          is the case. Increasingly,  law-enforcement personnel and recrea-
          tion  managers  are  overcoming  their  timidity before the small
          minority of zealots who still consider social nudity  evil.  They
          should actively promote the principle of diversity of dress codes
          in  recreation-very  much as social resources are extended to ac-
          commodate both sexes, all races,  the handicapped,  and the well,
          where tax-obtained funds are involved.

          Taking the Sun

          Long  gone  is the day when you had to claim an enthusiasm to get
          the rays on every bit of your skin as a good excuse to go  naked.
          Excessive  sunning  is  not the best thing for healthy skin.  Not
          only can it possibly lead to skin cancer,  but it can prematurely
          dry,  wrinkle,  and age the skin.  Still, the desire to enjoy the
          out-of-doors is Natural;  you must simply balance this desire for
          the  sunshine  with an informed understanding of what is good for
          your skin.

          Don't confuse lying in the sun with nude recreation.  The problem
          lies  in  excessive exposure to the sun between the hours of 10am
          and 2pm, Sol's time. Nude recreation doesn't require much or even
          any sun exposure.  Haven't you enjoyed running naked in the  warm
          summer  rain?  Haven't  you  enjoyed  late  afternoon sports on a




          clothing-optional beach under stormy skies? And haven't you skin-
          nydipped by moonlight?  Take nude recreation and not  necessarily
          the sun. Start out early or late. Go out in the midday sun but in
          moderation.  And then,  be active, turning your body this way and
          that as you run; play ball, throw a Frisbee, leap the waves.  And
          when you are not active or at midday,  put an umbrella, a tree, a
          tent,  a sunscreen,  or other lotion between you and the  sun.  A
          sunscreen  or  tanning lotion that you squeeze from a tube can be
          as good as a shirt or robe,  and it  won't  interfere  with  your
          freedom to move and be totally one with your environment. May you
          enjoy your new freedom without injury!


                            Rules of Free Beach Etiquette

          These informal rules should give you a good idea of how Naturists
          conduct themselves.

          1. Stay out of dunes and other environmentally sensitive areas.

          2. Obey parking regulations and other posted rules.

          3. Help with litter by bringing along a trash bag. Carry out more
          than you brought in.

          4.  Don't go out of established nude areas. To wander nude into a
          clothed beach or parking area will offend many and undermine  our
          objectives. Be considerate of others.

          5.  No overt sexual activity. Leave exhibitionism to those visit-
          ing clothed beaches! Nude is not lewd, and we intend to prove it!

          6. Respect the property of others.

          7.  Ask prior consent for photography.  People can't  legally  be
          stopped  from taking pictures in public places.  However,  asking
          permission is common courtesy.  Not everyone wants to end up in a
          stranger's photo album. Parents should also be asked before their
          children are photographed.

          8. Privacy is fundamental! Beach romeos are those males who can't
          take  "No,  I would like to be left alone" for an answer.  Single
          women aren't always waiting for men to approach them. Many are at
          the beach for a quiet time and don't want to be disturbed.  It is
          not  wrong for a man to go to the beach to meet women;  but it is
          rude to monopolize a woman's time when the welcome mat was  never
          put out.

          9.  Come prepared.  Bring beach supplies: beverages, food, chair,
          sunscreen, towel, etc. Don't expect others automatically to share
          these items. Mooching is offensive!

          10.  Speak up for standards!  If a person seems unaware of  beach
          etiquette,  explain it,  kindly and plainly.  Give them a copy of
          these rules.  Don't let uncouth individuals ruin our fragile  and
          beautiful place under the sun!







          If  you  want to support the clothes-optional lifestyle,  help us
          fight for our Natural equality with a  monetary  contribution  to
          NCN Legal Defense Fund,  or join our ranks: NCN,  Box 3122, Fair-
          fax, Va 22038. Any amount is appreciated. Thanx in advance!  
          
          If  you  would like to contact me via CompuServe E-Mail or in the
          Outdoor Forum, my PPN (id code) is 76137,2073 and my name is
          Bote. If you don't give it a try,  your conscience undoubtedly
          will kick you for the rest of your life.


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