Recognizing The Benefits
Polar Extremes And The Middle Ground
“People think naturists are trying to impose nudity. In reality, we’re not asking others to be naked everywhere — we’re asking society to see nudity for what it truly is: normal, healthy, and natural.”
— Vincent Marty, Founder of NaturismRE
When confronted with the unconventional, many people react negatively. There are times to push back forcefully at detractors, and other times when respectful disagreement is the proper course. I determined that the latter was the case during an encounter with a disturbed man at the start of a naked hike.
The incident occurred on May 17 when, on the opposite side of the United States, San Francisco’s Bare to Breakers event — a 12-kilometer foot race established in 1912 that runs from the R-Evolution statue on Market Street to Ocean Beach — was taking place in an atmosphere supportive of nudity, despite the city’s recent attempts to restrict nakedness. The 113th Bay to Breakers race brought out an estimated 30,000 participants and went off without much of a hitch. There were no reports of unfortunate accidents or bad behavior.
Naturist New Hampshire’s pre-solstice warmup hike in Groton State Forest in Vermont, on the other hand, was dampened by one man’s objection to exposed flesh. It was a first-time event with eight hikers in a state where public nudity is legal with limited exceptions. We did not anticipate any problems.
Back in 2004, during the last of Jim C. Cunningham’s Vermont Naturist Photo Safaris, models and photographers led by Michael Cooney visited a number of swimming holes over several days to capture the naked form in nature. In moving from location to location, we often made impromptu stops along the way, including at a greenhouse and beside a covered bridge on a well-traveled road. The experience at the bridge was particularly inspiring, for although parents were swimming in the river and children were jumping from the wooden structure into the water, they were unconcerned about people disrobing to pose just downstream for the photographers.
Twenty-two years later, what was almost universally accepted as normal has become problematic. As the NNH group was preparing to leave the parking lot for a hike up to the Owls Head Overlook, a couple came down the trail and went to their car. After dropping off his gear, the man strode back to confront us about out “disgusting” nakedness.
I reminded him that nudity is legal in Vermont, but he responded that just because it’s legal does not mean it’s right.