Thursday, September 24, 2009

Victims of Discrimination – Naturists

R.U Nude
24th September 2009
A common thread among naturists is the question "What have we got to hide?" Many reply that their jobs, families, friends don't know about their naturist lifestyle, and they live in fear of being 'exposed'. It is ironic that we are not afraid to let ourselves be seen naked, but we have to be careful who we allow to see us naked. It has been the trend in naturist circles to always use only first names to maintain the anonymity among naturists. This practice, however, also maintains the veil of secrecy surrounding what naturists do and who they are, and probably goes some way to perpetuate the public's misconceptions about naturism.

So what do we have to hide? Many of us believe that we stand to be sacked from our jobs if our lifestyle preference became public knowledge. This is not really a realistic option given anti-discrimination laws, yet not all naturists would have the capacity financially to fight against such discrimination should it happen. We have seen it before in several instances where professional people have posed nude and been fired. A recent article in the UK Times gives us in Australia some hope. The Government Equalities Office, headed by Harriet Harman, is planning a review into discrimination laws following claims that “Naturists encounter prejudice in employment”. The Equalities Office is urging "the government and other authorities to make “affirmative statements” in favour of naturism and combat the financial penalties endured by those who pursue clothes-free leisure pursuits."

This positive news from the UK prompted me to recently write my own submission to our Federal Government's Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, seeking his support. Naturists in Australia also suffer discrimination (or at least fear of retribution) from employers, colleagues, friends and family, as well as the press and general public in many forms. The movement in Australia has been going for close to a century, and has a rich history which genuinely deserves cultural status. Since migration brought naturism into Australia following both World Wars, we have seen an increase in the number of naturists across the country.

Unfortunately naturism seems to be currently in decline, as those naturists get older and we struggle to find and encourage younger generations to join us. This is largely because naturism has changed little in all that time, and has not kept up with the times. Naturists have been happy to keep to themselves and remain behind closed doors for their own protection. Hence, younger generations don't really have a good understanding about what naturists do, nor do they feel inclined to mix with older generations. The stigma associated with being a naturist is enough to put the younger individual off, since Generation Y is all about being accepted and finding a place. They are unlikely to choose a lifestyle in which they will undoubtedly suffer prejudice and isolation.

The type of discrimination we suffer today has been likened to that suffered by gay people prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK in 1967. Naturists in Australia need to stand up and demand recognition, and I urge all of you to also write to Peter Garrett HERE and voice your opinion on the matter. Numbers speak louder than words, and currently nobody in Australia seems to know accurately how many naturists we have. Let's let them know how many there are.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Aussie Nude Bowling


Story by R.U Nude
16th September 2009
Are you interested in joining in in some new nude activities? Finally we are able to announce the types of activities and areas on offer, and we are very interested in hearing from you. Currently we have 70 activities available ranging in price from the reasonable to the ridiculous. In particular we have Nude Ten-Pin Bowling available in both Melbourne and Southern Queensland. Currently we are seeking expressions of interest from individuals interested in attending, although no dates have been set. Given that these are 'closed' events, the owners require us to book the entire facility. Therefore, to make it affordable we need 150 individuals to make it worthwhile.

Check out what is on offer below, and if you are interested in either the QLD or VIC Ten-Pin Bowling activities, please send an email from the page below to register your interest and join our mailing list.


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Australian Nudist Activities


Story by R.U Nude
1st September 2009
Have you ever wondered why nudists don't have more fun things to do in life other than play a few sports and laze at the beach? Recently I have started making enquiries of activity providers and found that a number of them are quite happy to offer nudist adventure experiences just as they do for our textile counterparts. The only conclusion I can come to is that nobody has tried to organise such nudist activities before now. It's high time we lifted our lifestyle out of the duldrums and raised our profile and activity levels with some fun, out-doorsy, adrenaline packed adventure.
      
My recent enquiries have been into skiing, flying, caving, tandem skydiving, kite surfing, kayaking, para sailing, wine tasting, bush walking, surfing, tandem hang gliding, dinner parties, helicopter flights, archery, target shooting, adventure tours, wine tastings/tours, dolphin/whale watching, skydiving, abseiling, ballooning, snorkeling, diving, sailing, jet skiing, farm stays, horse riding, outback tours, white water rafting, canoeing, and fishing trips. I am sure there are many more things naturists could do, but this is just a start. Already I have had some positive responses. Could you see yourself doing some of these activities in the buff?
      
Many of our younger naturists complain that there is just not enough things for naturists to do, and not everyone wants to sit around a stuffy old club playing petanique and badminton. We live in a fast paced time, and there is little reason why nudists should not be able to participate in modern events and activities. Of course, there are inherent dangers involved in some of these activities (other than the usual) and naturists need to be aware that additional precautions may be required. Obviously, legal ramifications need to also be considered, and most of the events and activities need to be conducted on private land, or special permission gained first.
      
The provision of these activities relies on the goodwill of the providers and the good behaviour of the naturists concerned. As business enterprises, naturists will be expected to pay the same fees that textile participants would, and behave in the same courteous and respectful manner, despite being nude. As with all business ventures, they can only exist and survive with regular patronage. As such, we will are seeking expressions of interest (genuine interest) from naturists who would be interested in participating in these types of activities. Given that this is likely to be the first time they have been offered and conducted in Australia, they also provide an excellent opportunity for positive publicity for naturism. If you are interested in participating, please express your interest below: