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.

  • MehBlah@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Regressive’s like maga claim to be all about personal freedom but in truth they don’t want others to have any freedom they don’t approve of. Tolerance is not something they possess. Never listen to what regressives say just watch what those perverts do.

  • clearedtoland@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    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.

    • bdonvr@thelemmy.club
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      5 months ago

      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.

        • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          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.

          • Bartsbigbugbag@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            I swam naked in the fountain at our towns courthouse as a child, and it was fine. You’re weird and creepy.

            • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              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?

              • Spectrism@discuss.tchncs.de
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                5 months ago

                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.

                • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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                  5 months ago

                  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.

  • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Some rich asshole named Stuart Sloan, owner of University Village, tried low key getting rid of our nude beach here in Seattle. He talked directly with the mayor to get a children’s park right next to the beach and offered to pay for it which would likely mean police would crack down on nudity there. Thankfully the community gathered together to tell him to fuck off.

    • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Lets all buy the property next to Stuarts house, tear down any existing building, and build a glass house…for nude parties!