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 The
FCN's official Magazine since 1986
Sample Articles from Going Natural
Who needs clothes when it's
hot? Cruise naked!
by
Jeff Gruen . photo by Cory Ryan
 Last February, I found myself shivering
to the bone in just a sweater, as I waited
in Toronto for a drive to the air terminal
from the valet service. I pondered why
I live in such a desperately cold climate
for 60 percent of the year. I came up
with no convincing reasons. When it comes
to the February blahs, who wouldn't turn
their back on the white stuff and head
for hotter weather?
Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, owned
and operated out of Austin, Texas, by
Nancy and Tom Tiemann, was putting on
their 15th annual nude Caribbean cruise.
They chartered the Costa Mediterranea
for this seven-day excursion, taking
along approximately 2200 bare boat riders
from around the world. Having been on
a nude cruise before, I knew what to
expect; but it never ceases to amaze
me how easily naked people get along,
without putting on any airs.
From
our departure from Ft. Lauderdale,
we made our way toward the deep blue
Caribbean Sea. No one was naked at this
point, due to some crazy law preventing
nudity in public places-like harbours-and
the fact that it was a little chilly.
If it's cold, naturists wear clothing:
a no-brainer!
As the ship made its way a safe distance
from civilization, the clothing started
to come off. It's an unusual sight to
see people in your usual khaki travel
wear and loud Hawaiian shirts standing
next to non-tan-lined people with not
a zipper or button in sight!
The ship's crew was Italian for the
most part, with a smattering of other
Europeans and Philippinos. The first
day at sea is always an eye-opener for
the ship's staff, as they either can't
believe what they are seeing, or in some
cases, don't believe in what
they are seeing, because of religious
beliefs. Either way, they bite their
tongue, look the other way, and carry
themselves with professionalism and decorum.
Rules
There are rules that come on board with
Bare Necessities. They must be strictly
adhered to in order for future cruise
partnerships to flourish. This is not
a sex cruise. It is a clothing-optional
cruise, where you have the option to
be naked anywhere on the ship except
in the dining room. The main rule is,
always have a towel between your butt
and whatever surface you are sitting
on. Of course, this is a nudist rule
world-wide. Picture taking is allowed
with permission of the subjects; however,
there are designated no-photo zones around
two pools to prevent Internet-happy photographers
from exploiting your image. Other rules:
no overt sexual activity and no genital
jewellery.
The ship pitched and rocked its way
to St. Martin, our first stop. Like any
cruise, excursions are set up in advance,
so that you may have a choice of a nude
beach trip or a clothed bus tour of the
island, to name a couple. Most people
showed up at Club Orient on Orient Beach,
one of the most famous and beautiful
clothing-optional beaches in the world.
Although somewhat packed, it always has
room for an extra beach towel or chair.
One
of the most ridiculous sights is the
border between the nude side and the "prude" side of Orient Beach. Cruisers
from other ships actually make the 20-minute
trip to Orient Beach just to catch a
glimpse or take a picture of a naked
person hanging around the entrance to
the beach. If there were a fence, you'd
think you were at the zoo and the nudists
were the attraction. Pointing and laughing
with slight embarrassment are prevalent.
The really bold textile crowd will actually
suck it up and walk into the "deadly" nude
zone, just to say they did.
We enjoyed lunch nude at the Papagayo
restaurant, one of the only restaurants
in the world where you may eat sans clothing.
Club Orient put on a great buffet strategically
located beside some trinket carts you
could shop at while standing in line.
Partying
Back on board, the party was beginning
to pick up. When you introduce sun, fun,
and the odd beverage to nudists, you
can bet the ship will start rocking without
ocean waves to help out!
The food was average, unfortunately,
but the atmosphere kept spirits alive.
The ship provides all the usual entertainment
on board, including cheesy comics (pretending
the audience was naked, har har) singers
not fit for American Idol, and
dancers whose costumes upstaged their
routines. But it was the costume nights
that blew the ship's staff away. Nudists
seem to pack more when they go on vacation
than other folks, because of those costumes:
extravagant masks, colourful outfits,
and for those who carry spray cans with
them, body paint. You always find the
most outrageous, creative, and "what-the-heck-is-that?" type
of costume from these "shy and reserved" passengers.
The
costume nights vary with the cruise.
Aboard the Costa: Fat Tuesday in Venice
(a twist on Mardi Gras, and you can bet
the beads were flying); James Bond-Undressed
to Kill (gold painted people and unique
twists on the Bond girl outfit); White
Tie and Tiaras (for Captain's Night,
a clothed event); Toga Night (naturally);
and Tropical Night (Carmen Miranda, move
over!).
Best of all seems to be the passenger
talent night. There's never a shortage
of nude dancers, singers, saxophone players,
and comics!
The next stop was the Dominican Republic.
Nudity is illegal there, but through
Bare Necessities and Costa, many happy
passengers sailed on clothing-free catamarans
to snorkelling areas around the island.
Mask, snorkel, fins, and the rush of
the Caribbean sea enveloping your body
provided the ultimate freedom. Although
the coral and fish were brilliant, it
was the unabashed sensation of the swim
that reminded everyone of the carefree
style of living they had chosen.
All the days at sea were filled with
the excitement of dance lessons at the
pool or bingo to get out of the sun.
Relaxing and making new friends were
on the agenda for most days, offset by
the occasional nap in a spacious but
not huge stateroom or cabin.
Nassau
came into sight, marking the last day
of an event-filled cruise. Again an
excursion or just travelling on your
own: last chance for duty-free everything
and to bargain with vendors using the "I
give you best price" line.
Going back
At the end of this vacation, it was
difficult to drag on long pants and a
sweater to make the trek back to Canada.
Clothing felt foreign and constricting.
Mind you, just knowing there were no
tan lines and we are all naked under
our clothing made me smile just a bit.
Naturist
travel is a booming business. Can 2200
people be wrong? It seems like cruising
is the best way to enjoy this lifestyle:
you're in a safe environment while
seeing what's out there in the world.
It affords the opportunity to drop
the inhibitions, walls, and stresses
that most of us carry. Your inner child
is released. When you're nude, you don't
know the bank manager from the truck
driver-which allows everyone to play
nice in the sandbox.
www.bare-necessities.com
www.thenudetraveller.com
Spring
2006 (GN 21:1)
Nudes
Flashes,
by Marlene Elliott and GN staff
Nudism and stamps
 For some years (and for some price), Canada Post has allowed users to have their own picture on a stamp. This has led more than a few to think of sending in you know what sort of photo. GN is unaware of any such attempt's being successful. Indeed, in issue 15:4 is a tale of how Canada Post gave the snip to a naturist stamp. It's far easier to get past postal sensors than postal censors.
But hey, there's an alternative. In California, Blair Brumley and Claudia Kellersch created an address label with their picture on it. Why not? Why didn't we think of this one!
In late 2005, Blair and Claudia used this photo on seasonal cards and letters to twelve states, three provinces, Australia, and Germany, with no problem. Yes, the picture on the label is small. But for naked subversion, it's hard to beat the idea.
What if millions of North Americans "followed suit"?
Nudism and church
An enterprising FCN member from the Bay of Quinte (ON) area sent us a clipping from the December 2005 edition of The United Church Observer. The person answering the question is David McKane, a minister in London (ON). He has done some good thinking! Here's the whole exchange:
Question: Does the United Church have a position on social nudism or social naturism? More and more people are enjoying this recreation and lifestyle.
Answer: We have no "official" position, except affirming the beauty of the human body. We do believe, after all, that the Word became flesh. The Federation of Canadian Naturists "seeks to encourage respect for oneself, others, and the environment." Nudity is but a part of their overall philosophy, and they claim to represent about nine percent of the population.
Some folks are very at ease in their own skin and some feel embarrassed. Some regard nudity as provocative, even sinful. Others regard nudity as deeply spiritual and freeing. I supposed it depends in part on whether you are in Miami or in Whitehorse.
Theologically there is occasion here for some wonderful discussion on the incarnation and the power of the human body to express both divinity and depravity.
Nudity and sex
Earlier this year, an Egyptian cleric declared that nudity during sexual intercourse was forbidden. In fact, such a state of undress would annul a marriage.
Another expert disagreed. He argued that married couples could see each other naked but should not look at one other's genitals.
Obviously there are still new ways to proclaim the separation of nudity and sex.
Figuratively speaking
Near San Diego is the city of Escondido. In Spanish it means hidden. In January, that's what disapproving residents thought should apply to an art gallery's portrait of a nude man by Robert Ferguson. One woman opined, " I want to protect my child." Another objector claimed, " It goes beyond just looking. It leads to sex before marriage. Homosexual acts. Why does he do naked men?"
The owner of the gallery worried about vandalism, so she had the offending painting moved from its second-storey window. But many calls and messages of support later, she returned it to its former spot.
Another local gallery owner thought that the controversy was "the best thing that could happen to the arts district, and a boon for local art business." Ferguson believes the controversy over his work exposes people's misunderstanding of art. And, we add, of nudity.
Exposing the new year
The Taranaki Naturists Club, one of the smallest in New Zealand, hosted a national camp-out by the sea to begin 2006. That attracted about 120 naturists aged 4 to 80 from all over New Zealand and even from overseas. Events included a fancy dress dance (?) and a "bare bum bingo" (!)
The New Zealand Naturist Federation said that naturists use plenty of sunscreen because "we have bits in the sun that aren't normally exposed." We need to rethink what's normal!
Bungee beaches
In January, Forbes magazine issued its list of 13 "top topless beaches." Its article didn't mention the best reasons for being nude or topfree (a word it doesn't know). Its reasons were:a desire "to flaunt it," to do the equivalent of bungee jumping, and to remember the late 1960s and early 70s. (Really important for people under 40, who never knew them!)
The article often didn't acknowledge a difference between topfree and nude, and recommended only two beaches in all continental North America. Those were Black's in California, whose state-owned section is fully clothing optional, and South Beach in Miami Beach, which isn't. No mention of Haulover Beach (FL), Wreck Beach (BC), or many others in the USA and Canada.
Nice to see the exposure, but Forbes needs to provide better (un)coverage.
Pitt stop
Late last year, Brad Pitt threatened legal action against anyone publishing photos of him naked on his Los Ángeles balcony. We recall that his ex, Jennifer Aniston, made the same threat when a paparazzo photographed her topfree at her place.
Would Brad's current belle, Angelina, complain if that happened to her? Probably she'd consider photos of herself to be jolie.
Of course, if nudity were more accepted, the paparazzi wouldn't have much to do.
Good news
In January, Stéphane Deschênes, President of the FCN, met with Jeanette Lewis, Executive Director of the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies. The aim was to discuss ways in which the two organizations could deal with some of the issues identified in the article published in GN/AN 20:3.
Lewis was open minded and asked many questions to better understand naturism and our concerns about Children's Aid. She stressed that OACAS has no control over Ontario's 53 Children's Aid Societies. Each is run by an independent board and is responsible to Ontario's Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
The OACAS does work with government on development of and response to legislation, standards, policy, regulations, contentious issues, and review mechanisms. They also have quite an influence on policies created by Ontario's CASs. Given all that, the participants agreed that OACAS should have a document explaining naturism, available for child care workers' reference. This could help prevent unnecessary investigations which cause parents stress and waste CAS resources.
It was agreed that over the next few months, the FCN and OACAS will work together to create an appropriate document which will then be added to the OACAS library.
Crossing the Atlantic
James Cracknell and Ben Fogle decided last year to row in a race across the Atlantic Ocean. Cracknell, by the way, is an Olympic gold-medal rower.
You guessed it-they did it naked. They wanted to avoid chafing and cutting from clothes, and getting sweaty and promoting fungal growths.
They encountered plenty of problems on their 5000 km journey from the Canary Islands to Antigua. Their boat capsized, scattering equipment. They could sleep only two hours at a time. Their butts got very sore.
Don't laugh: they won.
Winter
2005-2006 (GN 20:4)
The road less travelled
Growing
with my daughter Adelle
by Ronni Shea
I am the over 30, Anglican, hard-working stepmother of Adelle Shea (see GN 19:3 and numerous online naturist forums). I have been co-responsible in keeping this little firebrand alive and kicking since she was 3 1/2 -and quite a journey it has been.
As she grew older, each new stage that she discovered meant a trip to the library, so that I could discover and understand where she was now. The day she announced that she was a serious believer in naturism and female topfreedom was one of the harder days. My  mind immediately raced with all the "what ifs" of the negative kind. I immediately started to worry about the ramifications in today's conservative society of a 14-year-old girl being a nudist and topfreedom activist.
There were many sleepless nights spent worrying about social services, police, and legal type stuff. Would the police be on my doorstep anytime soon? Would I be arrested for being seen as a bad role model? (Yes, I drop my clothes as soon as I get home, in a pile, in the living room.) Would Adelle's birth mother find out that "our" daughter was walking around naked in private and in public, and how would she react?
The website
Then Adelle announced that she wanted to share her experiences, with our help, via a personal web site. I freaked right out, not so much on the outside but inside, with more sleepless nights worrying.
My husband John got to work looking up the legalities in Canada and the US, which were Adelle's main focus. Adelle researched the information that she wanted on the site involving naturism and topfreedom, and decided what pictures she wanted included. We then went over it and vetted the pictures we thought might be questionable legally.
John and Adelle had to work very hard to convince me that we weren't going to end up in the newspaper with some hideous photo and a headline that read "Girl sexually exploited by parents for kicks!" With much discussion, I was slowly won over and started the long journey of a new stage in my life.
I was raised (as so many were) to believe that sex and nudity go hand in hand. It really queered me out at first to be sitting there talking to my daughter about "nudity vs. sexuality" as she explained that they may be two different things. I discovered along the way that you don't have to be 50 to be wise, you don't have to be a size 5 to be beautiful, and you don't have to worry so much about what other people might think.
This was all taught to me by a 14-year-old whom I proudly call my daughter. She opened my eyes to the beauty of the human body that doesn't have to be perfect, covered, or shameful. It just has to be.
It didn't stop there. She "came out" to her friends regarding her beliefs and sexuality. She participated in forums to voice her concerns regarding inequalities and myths faced by women and "non-adults," and had to face the censure and abuse of many, including other nudists, who vehemently opposed her.
it evolves
She wrote articles for various sites and magazines, letters to newspapers and politicians. Her website evolved and grew ever larger and came to include sections on non-nude modelling (eventually removed), art, women's issues, religious beliefs, and sexuality (both educational and occupational). Each subject was kept in its own little compartment, and a table of contents was included so that people could choose the information they wanted to access and avoid what they did not. Of course this still wasn't good enough for some folks.
I still worry about her, and her opening up to so many strangers in the naturist community. With society's weird sense of what constitutes pornography, child abuse, etc., it is hard as a step-parent to always know which path is the right or safe one. Will she get hurt, or will she become smarter and tougher? Will she gain a stronger sense of self and a greater social conscience? Will she grow up to be a better person for having experienced all this?
I don't have the answers. But I do see her grow as an individual, stronger, happier, less worried about body image than her friends. I also see these friends going to swims and other events with her, so that acceptance within her peer group has become a non-issue. Adelle has helped many of her friends, male and female, deal with the physical and mental changes that all teens go through, by making those changes easer to understand and accept.
It is the adults who are there to "protect the children" that give the worst sleepless nights. Even though I know that various agencies protect children, and such protection is often necessary, I have no wish to become the target of moral crusaders. I've seen too many newscasts where innocent people's lives are ruined just by news of a "potential problem."
The birth mother
To be ostracized by the community, to go through the legal process and possibly be mislabelled by uninformed people, would be devastating to me. This became only too apparent when, after three years, Adelle tried to include her birth mother in her life as a nudist, and told her about her religious and social beliefs and her website.
Though she asked this woman to look at her site to better understand her daughter's decisions, she didn't have the time. Her husband found the nude pictures of Adelle in the gallery section, which his wife then fixated on. Though Adelle begged her to look at the rest of the site, she declared that she didn't care about it, the legality of the content, what Adelle thought, or what she was trying to do. All that mattered were "pornographic" photos of her daughter on the web to be enjoyed by pedophiles and perverts.
In her world, all nudity is sexual, therefore pornographic; and all persons under 18 are children. Therefore, a nude picture of someone under 18 is child porn. She then insisted on a family meeting, where she said many hurtful things.
I have always taught Adelle to stand up for what she believes, respect others' beliefs, and honour her heart in all things. But she was devastated. I could understand some of her birth mother's concerns, because I had raised some of the same points. But unlike her, I had been willing to listen and learn. Despite the surprises, I had wanted to know and understand the changes in Adelle.
Activism
I too had been an activist of sorts in my day, as was my mom, and my grandmother, who was a "Rosie" as well as a suffragette. So were Adelle's aunts on her birth mom's side.
It took Adelle some weeks to come to terms with this event with her birth mother. She decided to avoid complications by closing her site and withdrawing from public activism for at least a year, perhaps longer. She will instead focus on developing her education and social skills, and practice her beliefs within the closer social circle of her friends.
I know that Adelle will find her place in the world. My only hope is that she will be healthy and happy and successful. She has already influenced and affected so many, including me.
I will be attending the naturist swims when I can, to support my daughter and her ideals, continuing to grow with her. I am so proud to be called Mom by this young woman!
Winter
2004-2005 (GN 19:4)
The
First Canadian Naturist Festival
by Judi Ditzler
 It's an old cliché that nothing worthwhile is easy. Perhaps no one knows this better than the organizers of a naturist festival. Just ask those folks who were involved in staging the first-ever Canadian naturist festival in August.
Members of the FCN who have attended Naturist Society gatherings and festivals had long talked of hosting a similar event north of the border. The Naturist Society was happy to support a Canadian event, and agreed to assist by lending promotional assistance and guidance to the organizers.
With a first-time event, some glitches were to be expected. Two different FCN volunteer coordinators worked in the early months to put together a program and registration plan; but as the date for the festival loomed, it was clear that some fundamental pieces were still missing.
Enter Judy Williams, FCN Government Affairs Director and longtime Naturist Action Committee board member (and veteran gathering attendee). With only weeks to go before the festival, and despite being in the middle of a major battle with the University of British Columbia over Wreck Beach, Judy generously agreed to take over planning and pull together the missing elements. So it was that a co-ordinator from British Columbia put the finishing touches on a festival in eastern Ontario! The ever-energetic Judy had a great deal of onsite help from others.
CNRB
The setting for the festival was Club naturist Richard Brunet, a rustic but tidy club of about 25 wooded hectares just west of the Ontario/Québec border and less than an hour from Montréal. CNRB was well equipped for a small festival, featuring a clubhouse/bar, pool, hot tub, sauna, several sports courts, and children's play areas. The "Red Roof" restaurant served quick and simple but tasty fare.
Because the club has a limited number of cottages and trailers for rent, many festival guests either tent-camped or stayed in nearby motels. French is the dominant language spoken at CNRB, though it's quite possible to get by speaking English. Owners Richard and Odette Brunet and Gaby Dussault were gracious hosts and did much to help the festival run smoothly; and the CNRB members and staff did their best to make attendees feel welcome.
About 100 people came to the festival, most from Ontario and Québec but others from more distant points in Canada and the USA. Some arrived early for the Thursday pre-festival day trip to Oka Beach, Montréal's premiere naturist beach. Unfortunately the weather was not ideal (cloudy with occasional light rain), so the crowd was far short of the usual hundreds of attendees one might expect to find at Oka on a warm, sunny summer day. However, it was certainly warm enough for nudity, so the festival group settled in to explore the shoreline, swim, and socialize with members of the local Okapulco user group, including its gregarious leader, Jacques-André Gill.
Better weather?
We hoped for better weather for the festival's opening day; instead, Friday was even worse. Cool temperatures and steady rain showers kept many campers away; and the bad weather had Judy and her cadre of helpers scrambling to relocate events and keep the schedule running as smoothly as possible. Those who did attend were content to roll with the changes and overall kept a cheerful attitude. Fortunately, CNRB's clubhouse (with sauna) and covered terrace (with hot tub) offered refuge for nudesters looking to escape the chilly dampness.
Meanwhile, there were plenty of workshops and discussions to take our minds off the gloomy weather. Some highlights from Friday included an update from Judy on the battle to save Wreck Beach; a workshop on public nudity and the nature of offense by Mark Storey; a history of the Federation of Québec Naturists by FQN founder Michel Vaïs; a photo tour of several top Canadian and European naturist sites by photographer Richard West; and a recap by Stéphane Deschênes of his family's nude appearance on the popular TV show Arresting Design.
By Saturday things began to look a little brighter; the sun came out and stayed out for the better part of the rest of the weekend. The day began with the customary general assembly, where naturist organization leaders and workshop presenters introduced themselves and mentioned their presentations. Sessions not to be missed on Saturday included a beaches update, with representatives from beaches as close as Oka and as far as Haulover in Miami and Black's in San Diego; a talk on living full-time as a naturist; and a discussion of the proposed amendment to the Criminal Code that could have had serious consequences for naturist rights. (The bill died but was revived [and passed] as Bill C-2.)
NQ
Another topic that had festival-goers talking was the refusal by a major magazine distributor to take on the latest issue of Naturisme Québec , a story told in the last issue of GN. Ironically, Michel Vaïs said, an article in that particular issue of NQ argued that academic research does not support the notion that nudity is bad for children.
Other workshops were of a less political bent, on topics such as Esalen-style massage, life drawing, homeopathy, values in relationships, raising children as naturists, photography, and the history of nudist films. Like other Montréal clubs, CNRB is very family friendly; children were present in abundance. Fortunately, Judy had planned for this, adding a whole program of activities just for kids throughout the weekend.from pet-rock painting to giant sundae building.
Sunday's schedule was dominated by the FCN annual general meeting, so those who were not part of the FCN had the option of relaxing at the club or checking out other naturist opportunities in the surrounding area. With so many choices in the Montréal region, it was not hard to find additional clothing-free places to explore!
Adapted from an article in Nude & Natural 24:2, by kind permission of The Naturist Society.
Fall
2004 (GN 19:3)
Turmoil
in Québec
What
happens when you put a photo of a naked boy on a
magazine cover? The best-known Québec naturist
found out
by Bjørn Grønskov
 The cover of Naturisme Québec no. 5 (juin 2004). Petra Scheller, one of the FCN's founders, commented, "This is one of the greatest covers portraying the innocence and fun of being human and healthy that I have ever seen!"
In June, with some difficulty, longtime naturist and founder of the Fédération québécoise de naturisme Michel Vaïs produced issue no. 5 of the excellent Naturisme Québec. It is one of few French-language naturist magazines. Like this issue of GN, that issue focussed on "the effects of social nudity on the bringing up of children." The impetus for that focus was a visit in January to Montréal by a French child psychologist who declared, with no supporting evidence, that "the practice of family naturism goes against nature. One must be prudish with one's genital organs. The best thing is certainly to not expose them to one's child."
NQ printed two responses, one of which (by Mark Storey) we include in this issue of GN. The other was by France Guillain, a noted author of books about naturism, among much else.
The problem
When NQ 5 was about to come out, there was a disaster. Messageries de presse Benjamin, the magazine's usual distributor, refused to handle it. Everyone agrees on one thing: Benjamin's objection was to the cover.
One Montréal lawyer said that distribution of the magazine could result in charges under the child pornography sections of the Criminal Code. Another had this to say: "An innocent photo of somebody naked, whether an adult or child, is not in my view obscene. We will have become a completely crazy society if the mere publication of a photo of somebody naked, without a sexual connotation, amounts to child pornography."
Benjamin asked Vaïs to provide a legal opinion on the legality of the cover photo, given Canada's laws against child pornography. That opinion was provided by the well-known lawyer Roland Grand'Maison. After reviewing, among other materials, the relevant sections of the Criminal Code and legal opinions in the main case against John Robin Sharpe, he concluded (in part):
It is clear, to go back to the opinion of the Chief Justice [of the Supreme Court], that a reasonable person looking at the said photograph in an objective manner and in context (here, a magazine about naturism) could not conclude that the dominant characteristic of this photograph is to sexually arouse people to have sexually explicit activities with children.
We are of the opinion that a proper analysis brought about after the lodging of a complaint about the photograph would lead straight to the closing of the investigative file.
It is apparent that the photograph has an educational aim, as regards the concept of naturism, rather than the avowed purpose of distributing infant or child pornography.
It seems to us impossible to imagine that such a photograph can somehow or other meet the necessary tests for illegality according to Section 163.1 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
It doesn't get any clearer than that: the cover is legal. But Benjamin then said its own lawyer recommended against distributing the magazine because it was too "risquée"-which means both racy and risky. What about putting a black band across the cover or putting the magazine in opaque bags? Nope, Benjamin still wasn't interested.
Its director of marketing and sales suggested that Vaïs call its lawyer to get his explanation. But that lawyer refused to speak to Vaïs, on grounds he had no directive (from Benjamin) to say anything.
The result
The end result is that Benjamin, and of course other distributors, refused to touch the magazine. Plainly this was a business decision, not a legal one. Too bad, because given what happened next, Benjamin might have sold out the issue.
On the suggestion of several people, Michel Vaïs issued a press release in Québec. He was then interviewed about 30 times over the course of a few days by various French media.
Vaïs and others tried also to distribute the magazine directly to a few regular retailers. Newsstands refused, not wanting to short-circuit Benjamin. One store in a large bookstore chain said it didn't carry magazines "of that kind," meaning porn. Of his conversation with the store's buyer, Vaïs reports:
I told him that he had sold this magazine last year, that it was anti-porn, and that even his saleswoman had congratulated me and said that their customers liked it. But he replied that it was undoubtedly a mistake that NQ had been accepted-and that he must have been on holiday then.
Six Québec naturist centre's took copies of NQ 5 to sell, and three turned it down, one admitting that it was "too controversial." By mid-August, Vaïs had sold about 80% the quantity that usually gets sold, either directly or via naturist centre's in Québec. That was excellent, considering the lack of distribution.
Amongst all the media publicity was one early comment that the genitals of the boy on the cover were "en évidence," which in English means prominent. They aren't. Michel Vaïs made that point in a most interesting exchange in the Journal de Montréal on July 25. He also pointed out that social nudity is not erotic but calming, and dozens of magazines publish photos of the sort he put on the cover of NQ 5. "People aren't upset," he noted, "with the photo on the cover of my magazine. They're not offended, but [they say] their neighbour perhaps would be."
No complaints
And yet Michel Vaïs received not one complaint about the photo personally or as publisher. Where are all these neighbours? Do we make assumptions about others that are woefully incorrect? Are we imagining legions of people who object to simple nudity in a variety of innocent photos, when there are very few objecting? Might any objectors react as they would to almost any product they didn't want-and simply pass it by?
Vaïs's opponent in the Journal "debate" was the sexologist Michel Campbell. He stated that "exploitation of children is a rather sensitive subject." Indeed, but where's the exploitation here? Perhaps he didn't know that Vaïs has known personally the boy on the cover and his sister, also on the cover.
Vaïs made a minor mistake when he mentioned pornography, but he was surely right to link naturism with lower likelihood of sexual abuse.
Campbell went on to employ the "elephant argument." It's simple: an apartment landlord doesn't allow you to keep a guinea pig, because he'd have to allow the next person a pet pachyderm. Campbell: "If we allow this [the cover in question], we open the door to other kinds of photos and the exploitation of children."
Good points.
Campbell did raise a good point: how do children view their earlier nude photos when they become adults? Although there is no easy answer, it seems likely that children brought up not to howl at the naked body-theirs or others'-will accept their past in naturism even if they no longer participate in it.
We are not talking about photos taken surreptitiously or against a child's will; or a child being made fun of by disrespectful parents who misuse nudity or its photographic representation. The assumption of later embarrassment may be partly valid for some of the general population or the people whom Campbell treats, but where is the evidence for it among current or former naturists?
Another good question from Campbell pertains to pedophile crime; but his quoted statistics are misleading or incomplete. There is no evidence that more pictures with nudity mean more sex crimes in the general population-even porn doesn't do that. Should photos of naked children be banned because a small segment of society may be affected adversely by them? Most readers of this magazine know the correct answer, although the several reasons for it will have to wait for another time.
Campbell weakened his argument when he misapplied the judicial notion of threshold of tolerance, and even more when he said, "I don't say all naturists are [exhibitionists, voyeurs, and pedophiles]. But I have clients who are exhibitionist naturists and hide behind trees to masturbate."
Campbell needs to learn what naturism is. Calling a masturbator behind trees a naturist is as valid as calling a guinea pig an elephant.
Translations from French by Paul Rapoport
Summer
2004 (GN 19:2)
Coming out in Nova Scotia
by Mary Dixon
In 2002, when my husband and partner, Eric Hayes, decided to do a photographic portrait project of fellow passengers on a clothes-free sailing cruise, I didn't think twice, except to consider that it sounded too much like a "busman's holiday" on our Caribbean vacation. After all, we photograph people and things for a living and for our art.
 A year later, when gallery space had been booked to show the project, large digital prints were being stretched and mounted, and press kits and invitations were being prepared and mailed out, I had to come to terms with one fact: his show would effectively "out" us as naturists in small-town Nova Scotia. Hitherto, our naturism was known only to close friends, family, and photography colleagues.
In Their Own Skin was exhibited March 4-28, 2004 at ViewPoint Gallery in Halifax, a co-operative of which Eric and I are members. The show presented 14 prints of contented couples and individuals enjoying their place on the planet, clothes-free on a nude Windjammer cruise in the Grenadines.
Except for three portraits shot with a digital camera, they were taken on medium format black and white negative film, scanned into a computer with output as 20 x 25 in. giclée (archival inkjet) prints on canvas.
Press comments
After the show's four-week run and the appearance of two major newspaper articles (with a sizable reproduction in one of one of the images), it was reassuring to hear very little other than generally upbeat comments. The huge arts community in Nova Scotia had to have been reading the arts pages of the provincial press, although perhaps those who do are more open-minded in the first place.
In the days following Halifax's Chronicle Herald article (March 23), a higher than average number of people visited the gallery. On the very day after, the number of visitors to Eric's website jumped to 862 from an average of 54.
Comments were universally supportive. There seem to have been no letters to the editors reacting to the nude figure of sand-covered naturist travel agent Christie Musick, printed in both dailies. Of course, had the arts editors featured a full-frontal shot of both a male and female, as many of the images in the show were, the subscription cancellations might have rolled in.
It was Christie Musick's annual nude charter of the S/V Yankee Clipper of the Windjammer Barefoot Cruises fleet that inspired the photo project. Sailing with this cruise in 2000 and 2001, which Christie has been booking every October for over 20 years, Eric, a documentary portrait photographer at heart, was frustrated at the inability to take pictures as freely as he was accustomed. After all, not everyone on a nude cruise wants others to know how they spend their vacations, nor do they want to be disturbed when trying to relax.
But after two sailings with Christie, a rapport was established. Thanks to her, 17 couples and four individuals agreed to be photographed during the 2002 cruise, which traveled from Grenada through the islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Other comments
Comments in the gallery guest book ranged from "delightful/happy" to "provocative, inviting" to "wow," and "Thank you for bringing this to Halifax." Some on e-mail thoughtfully examined whether naturists were "normal" or "on the fringe," concluding they "just happen to like being nude." Others appreciated that the show challenged cultural expectations and definitions of beauty, and that the masses, especially women, should be getting more of the naturist message.
On the negative side, one woman reportedly saw the invitations on the counter at a Halifax camera store, which featured the photo of a man with his arm draped around his wife, both holding cold beers. Her reaction was "That's disgusting!" She turned the pile of invitations face down-and presumably did not visit the gallery.
Eric neglected to document himself and me on the cruise, but made a point of emphasizing our involvement as naturists in his supporting brochure and artist's statement: "I'm a participant, not a voyeur." One artist visitor said this lent greater legitimacy to the work.
This made it perfectly clear to everyone visiting the gallery, reading the statement, or seeing the two newspaper articles, that Eric Hayes and Mary Dixon of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, go on nude holidays with other nude people! This was the final "coming out" for us, save for actually having my own self naked in the daily paper, which has yet to happen.
Our gradual "exposure" has occurred over six or seven years, beginning with showing some holiday snaps from various resorts to close friends and then to my older brothers. They just think I'm a little strange, which is allowed when you're the baby and the "artist" of the family.
I thought the last bastion would be our local photo club, including several seniors and fairly small-town and rural folk. For the club's travelogue night, Eric created an audio-visual presentation of images from a cruise, mostly tropical scenery but including a discreet selection of bare butts and one topfree woman. Apart from some nervous giggling, the only other repercussion was a happily curious question, "You mean you were naked on the cruise too?" Perhaps the respectful relationship forged with the group over some twelve years helped them accept this aspect of our life.
In our own skin
My own fear has been lessened by serving as an occasional nude model for a local figure-drawing group, normally about six artists at a time, although one workshop brought 21 folks in to observe and sketch me. That was somewhat daunting. I tease them that they should be nude drawing the nude.
Eric has begun posing for them as well. It helps to know that the artists truly appreciate someone doing this for their artistic growth (or the $50).
Although not actually in Eric's show, I previously graced the walls of ViewPoint Gallery in a posterized photo of me brushing my hair, naked in a bathroom. That one Eric made for a group show called Intimate Portraits. That was my official outing to all our co-op members, although posing nude for art is different from admitting that you like to spend vacations with other naked people.
Appearing on the cover of last summer's Nude & Natural magazine, as well as in an earlier issue and in Going Natural, brings less concern, because I am among friends there!
After the Herald article, I assumed that my very conservative ex-husband and in-laws in another part of the province, as well as colleagues in my former field of law, would finally get wind of just how much my life had changed. I have heard not a peep-perhaps because not everyone knew me by the name Dixon, nor would they know of Eric Hayes, whose last name was in the headline.
But it no longer matters. While my brothers joke, "There goes my political career!" I know that they and our friends still love, trust, and respect us for who we are and how we treat other people. They may not share a desire to explore naturism (though we will give them every opportunity); but they know that, like the diverse and amazing people in Eric's show, we are happy and at home in our own skin. gN
Spring
2004 (GN 19:1)
Alberta
bound
by Karen Grant
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My husband Bruce and I chose our acreage 12 years ago, north of Edmonton, because it had a south facing slope we wished to use to maximize our privacy.
We built our house to be energy efficient and put huge windows in the south wall. The road in this subdivision is on the north side of the property.
When we are in our skin, we don't need curtains. Plenty of sunlight pours in, when the sun does shine-a wonderful and warm commodity in the often too cold and too dark days of our Alberta winters.
About half of the three acres are treed. The lower deck on the house is shielded by the trees in a ravine, making a green and living screen for the days I sunbathe nude. |
Karen Grant at the Macleod River |
Uh-oh
A few summers ago, along with my children, I was enjoying the sun in our back yard. Despite our precautions over privacy, I caused neighbours to the west some consternation when I took my sunbathing further into my yard than they liked. Although the young wife and mother was distressed at our skin, I refused to ask my children to put on bathing suits when they played on our home-made water slide. She said she would keep her children away from that side of the yard when my kids were out. Her two girls were an infant and a toddler!
We have always been happy to be nude around and with our children. As a mother, I have always known in my heart that skin contact between parents and children is healthy and needed, furthering security and belonging. We have been told that infants especially thrive on it, but this does not end with infancy or toddlerhood.
Our children are Christine, 12, and Ron, 10. They are more self-confident and relaxed in their own bodies than I ever was at their ages. Here is what they have to say about nudity in their world.
Christine
I just find it comfy. I don't really think about it. On certain days I would rather be nude, like when it's boiling hot. It's easier than having to mess around with clothes. On the Macleod River, I prefer it without a bathing suit, because you don't get sand in your suit, and it's really nice to not have to wait for a bathing suit to dry. You don't need to worry about getting clothes dirty. You feel the water moving through you and it feels better. It is really nice.
It would be really cool to be with people who share my opinion about naturism. I guess my opinion would be that it's a very cool way to live, very relaxed, very peaceful, no judging on what you are wearing. You can't really get judged on what you are wearing because you are wearing your birthday suit.
I find it very relaxing. Sometimes clothes are kind of uncomfortable. It's also easier to feel everything around you. That's why I prefer to be barefoot. I can feel the earth beneath me, and I can feel everything when I'm nude.
It's all just skin. Same stuff that's on your face and hands. I don't know why people get so touchy about it. I don't really think about it. It's just there.
Ron
It's just comfortable. It's like having your hand with nothing on it. It's just natural. It's annoying when people tell you to put some clothes on. I don't know why people have such a fuss.
Swimming at the Macleod is fun, because you get up and go for a swim. You don't have to bother worrying about if your bathing suit is dry. It's really uncomfortable putting on a bathing suit that's still wet.
It's just good because on hot days you don't have to go around the house sweating. Just comfortable. At parties at Grandma's it gets really hot and it's annoying to have to wear clothes.
If you're gonna say anything about it, you might as well walk up to someone in winter who isn't wearing a snood and say "Ha ha, you're showing your face!" It's normal to be nude. It's what's inside the skin that's important.
Back to us
Both children were delighted to be interviewed, but also a little puzzled. Delighted because of the fact they would see their names and pictures in GN, but puzzled because they didn't see what the excitement is regarding children and nudity. While they do understand that many people misunderstand nudity, they have a concrete sense of self-acceptance that many an adult would envy. Bruce and I come from a generation of people who, as children, were told that nudity was something shameful, so we were strongly advised to be clothed at all times.
My own first step towards naturism came when I was 15. I decided that it was more comfortable to sleep nude. Unfortunately, my mother felt this was inappropriate. But fortunately I did not heed her words!
Some years later, my sister and I sunbathed nude on the family hobby farm, a secluded area an hour and a half north of Edmonton. This happened without the participation or attendance of our parents. I had yet to meet other people who could do the same, until I met Bruce.
Bare and getting there
Bruce's family had owned a lake property northeast of Edmonton from the time of his grandparents. During the mid-80s, when there was a lull in the use of the properties on either side of the family cabin, Bruce and I enjoyed relative privacy and peace nude. My first attempt at a social naturist event came on a weekend when Bruce invited another couple and a single friend to the lake. While I would have been happy to be totally bare, it was decided that topfree was more easily accepted among the group. With the three men already bare-chested, it fell to me to be the female leader. I was happy to oblige.
Over the years, with population at the lake soaring and the addition of a year-'round residence next to the cabin, our family opportunities for nude living became limited to our home, the family farm, and camping trips like the one shown in our pictures.
With Alberta's winter weather, our second choice is trips to warmer climes, or to locate other naturist folk who must be lurking somewhere out there in their parkas! Aside from political loyalties, Alberta is a conservative province, its people tending to be good, solid, but cautious folk. In my experience, discussions of naturism seem to cause people to titter, frown, accept that others may do it, or dismiss it.
In Alberta, then, until we can connect with the existing naturist community in this area, we will continue our "closet" naturism. What fun it will be to share this wholesome lifestyle with others some day, and then have more to write about!
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