Martin Moulton describes himself as “both a small & large ‘L’ libertarian” who, as a Dartmouth College student and graduate, embraced New Hampshire’s state motto, “Live Free Or Die”. Since then, he has advocated for freedom and justice for all, on diverse fronts, from education to politics to bodily autonomy.
Martin said his first nudist experience occurred at YMCA pools. He was born in California, and his Texan mother and Costa Rican father were “very religious, loving, responsible, educated hippi-ish-lite parents” who took him and his younger brother to the YMCA in the 1970s, just when they were phasing out nude same-sex swimming. It left him with an indelible impression.
“Aside from being young enough to enter the women’s locker rooms as a young boy with Mom,” he said, “being at eye-level to what mature ‘goods’ look like.” (He explained his use of “goods” by noting, “I detest those who refer to Our God Blessed ProCreative/LifeGiving/LoveMaking/Joy Organs as ‘junk’ etc. — as some modern ¿adults? seem prone or programmed to do.”)
He also recalls an experience at Lupin Lodge where, with his parents’ blessings, “Naturist/Nudist Folk Star & devout Quaker Joan Baez unforgettably warmly picked me up against her bejeweled yet otherwise bare breasts and violently/playfully tossed me into the pool there (creating some ephemeral childish trust issues with naked women).”
His family also visited public beaches and regional parks/camps “where discreet or at least unpretentious #ClothingOptional lifestyles didn’t raise any alarms. Without any real or logical alternative, I soon accepted & embraced being ‘outed’ as an innocent Nudist/Naturist which has evolved over the years.”
Saying he was an exceptionally well-read “book worm” as a child, “My literacy was accelerated by reading my Pop’s psych books & journals — including the beautifully & graphically illustrated vols I, II, & III of The Joy of Sex, which gave me a more mature understanding of human physiology/anatomy & LoveMaking long before I understood the purpose. So, naked adults in general, regardless of stripe, just seemed more familiar & like ‘family’ — not aliens or threats.”
Martin’s parents sent the children to his uncle’s farm in the San Fernando mountains where they got to run and work nude “often enough (though not always), even with older female cousins.” He explained, “Aside from all the farm critters (horses, hogs/pigs, geese, various fowl, dogs & cats, etc) & teams of wild horses in the mountains who/which were not wearing any clothes — our ‘good’ school & church garb & my uncle’s one set of laundry machines were unsuited for the hard dusty/muddy/crappy work (4 a.m. to mid-afternoon ) of 6-10+ cousins.”
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