Steve , as far as I can see it is all as a result of fear ( as RnR have already mentioned). Both organizations and clubs are horrified at the prospect of the anti naturist placard brigade turning up on their doorstep. It was before I was really involved with naturism , but I believe that the repercussions of the incident of protestors at a swim up north are still having an effect .
The unwillingness of most organizers to risk causing trouble for themselves , however unlkely the prospect of that trouble is , has resulted in the current attitude . It seems to be supported by a large proportion of naturists that inhabit the demographic that is seen as acceptable to attend. Even those that have no input into events , other than attending , are willing to repeat phrases that further the idea having families in naturism will only bring bad publicity.
I can see why individual naturists think like this. They are trying to protect what they already have and think that this is the way to do it , but in the end , I think it will have exactly the opposite effect.
Rob has been called out for pointing out that the national organisation, had all the facts in the paper they wrote back in 2016 on the benefits of naturism for children. It appears that the national organisation does not uphold its own work, and live by what it has previously promoted. There clearly has been fear deliberate mongering, which has impacted all of UK naturism and created a duck and cover approach, and as we saw last year when we put forward ideas that would help resolve some of the issues around segregation, via things like the FIN project, it was the national organisation that trashed the idea without even considering it, leading to a decision that actually deepened the fear.
It makes no sense to us, as if you look back at the whole history of naturism, it was built on family naturism, and yet it now appears in the race to generate greater profits rather than protect naturism, the national organisations have cut families free, convinced that will end all types of confrontations in the future and allow them to focus on profitable events with paying adults.
They utterly miss the point of it is actually adult only naturism that is creating even worse perceptions and damage within the general public, who have for years suspected naturism to be sexualised. As we see today, with most events being over 18, and a rising swinger population hijacking naturism, applying adult only across the board, has actually created an even bigger tarnishing of naturism’s reputation than family centred naturism ever could.
In a bid to count the cash, naturism is being put at risk by irresponsible individuals who are more interested in profits and control, which will sound the death nell of naturism much faster than any wholesome family naturism ever could.
The behaviour of the protestors was very wrong and you have to wonder why the police were not asked to remove them or reign them in by the venues involved. Surely they should have wished to protected the children that were with the families? But that was 5 or 6 years ago now and instead of standing up to a small group of thugs who have long forgotten naturism exists and move on to other things to attempt to hurt, we simply gave up and gave the protestors what they wanted. Is that how to react to terrorism?
It is better to fight and maybe lose than give up, lose pride and definitely lose, isn't it? Where would we be if we just gave up when attacked? Countries and individuals have to fight back when the war is brought to their door.
I sympathised with the individuals who feared going to the events in question for concern of abuse and the threats of being branded on social media. But what we should have seen was all organisers of events, clubs, venues, national bodies etc taking up the fight en-mass supporting the people going to these events and protecting naturism, protecting families in naturism and showing our strength and numbers through publicity and announcements, organising protests against the protests, encouraging those individuals who feel they could speak out to come forward and at the next event calling for naturists all over the country to be there to simply allow the event attendees to enter unmolested and create a huge human wall to out-number the small group of agressive protestors. They should have gone to local and international news and radio and stated clearly that naturism is for families and use the negativity as a positive way to raise awareness and show our beliefs and get people talking about naturism and the unfair treatment of these delinquent protestors. Funny how there are various naturists who jump at the chance for a bit of self publicity or venue publicity and yet where were these passionate naturists (or their predecessors) when family naturism needed them?
Is it simply that they simply did not care about family naturism? Is it simply that adult naturism is easier to profit from? Did the protestors actually allow naturism to become more streamlined and allow adult naturism to step forward as the trendy naturism of the late teens of this new millennium. Is it that it fits into the profiteering of adult nudity that has become a modern preoccupation in this internet age? Could it be that the protestors were right and the 21st century naturism is no place for children? Well if that is true it is also no place for me either. I don't want to be part of a lifestyle that is afraid of Getting Real. I don't want to protect a lifestyle that rejects or hides families. I don't want to be part of a lifestyle that discourages people from enjoying naturism for free, a lifestyle that discourages small groups and families from going to beach and organising picnics and low key meet ups. I don't want to be part of naturism that treats nudity as naughty. I don't want to be part of naturism that fearmongers and mistrusts. I don't want to be part of naturism when it is treated like a TradeMark, an elitist lifestyle for a select few in the know, a back biting, bitchy community that breeds mistrust from within when we also suffer from mistrust without.
I want a naturism for all, proud of its history, proud of its members, inspiring the whole world to consider the simplicity of naturism, the natural nature of naturism, supportive of our positive, family friendly and often ancient clubs, fully behind naturism for everyone. A naturism that is realistic in realising that families actually are the bulk of society and the start of our future. A naturism that does not treat single men like a threat. A naturism that does not tell women to hide from men. Why not just tell them to stay dressed and stay in their rooms? A naturism that doesn't demand that children should be unseen and unheard, but one that actually encourages children to get out in the world, have adventures and learn about people. It is becoming more understood now that children are growing up unable to know how to function in a world that they have been hidden from through stranger danger. Why are we not at the forefront of this recognition and saying that naturism is an ideal life choice for children to experience the life that has been wrongly denied to them for much of this century?
I want a naturism where clubs don't ignore us when we send emails asking about booking as a family. What did they think it was, some sort of trick? Did they think we were secret protestors or perverts or did they simply not care about a family of four booking a holiday? We sent emails to almost all the naturist clubs in the UK in 2021 and had two replies. One suggesting another club and one saying they never really have children stay.
I want a naturism that is so well promoted, supported and defined that it is really hard for people to misunderstand what it is about. Where events cannot seem like something sexual in disguise. Where venues stop testing the water of how far they can travel towards a libertine lifestyle. I want a naturism that promotes naturism as family friendly by default. I want a naturism that creates an equality and only places restrictions based on logical numbers. That trusts men and women equally, and treats them equally, and when restrictions are needed for logical reasons it places the same restrictions on men and women, and charges then the same too! I want a naturism that embraces the LGBT community not because they are LGBT and it is trendy, but because they do not even consider that they shouldn't embrace them because they embrace EVERYONE! A naturism where equality isn't about acting like some people are more important than others but recognising that all people matter, all people have the basic right to be part of the naturist community and no one is more vital because of their gender, race, age or sexuality. I want a naturism that doesn't get pulled into to modern day entrapments, but instead recognises the natural wonder of naturism. That encourages everyone to not think it is something that only exists through official and forced ways but exists through our very basic instincts. There is no trick to naturism, it is a connection to our nature, a connection that anyone can make simply by removing their clothes. We are so used to naturism being presented as something rather fake and alien, like sitting in a large group watching a show in the evening or being interview sitting naked in a Tv studio surrounded by dressed people, that we forget that honest naturism is as simple as stripping off on a beach, or having a stroll in the country or lying in your garden. Kate Humble has presented a better example of naturism than most of the so called naturist celebrities who ask for funding for the naked exploits. And stripping off on a beach isn't about buying tickets for an organised dip at a certain time and date, but about naturally finding your way to a beach with family or friends or by yourself and connecting with the beach, the nudity and other beach goers in a natural way. The organised dips may have their place but real naturism is a much more fluid and natural experience. We are in danger of organising the natural spirit out of naturism, the logical sense of the experience and forgetting that naturism isn't something that always requires a ticket to ride.
I think that it is very hard for non-naturists to comprehend that naturism is the simplest, most natural, most normal of things when they only see it as something that has to be organised and bought into. It becomes something that is akin to watching stripping on the stage or on film, it becomes something that non-naturists see as strange and in need of organised support to exist. It becomes something that is hard to fathom and looks like it needs an excuse to happen. It becomes something that feels a little perverse, ironically illogical and unreal. It becomes something that appears like a dare or purely done to raise some money for a charity or to only join an event. It becomes something that many must feel can not be enjoyed unless you have paid to take part, know where and when to go and have been given the thumbs up to take part. Making it very hard for the average person to work out how to join in or mistrusting of whether they want to join in. I want to be part of naturism that can have organised events but never loses recognition of the fact that it is primarily a very natural and spontaneous life choice.
I want to be part of a naturism that the vast majority of naturists chose to be part of, and most still want to be part of, and have the right to be part of. A naturism that the majority of clubs, groups and national bodies should want to be part of. A naturism that is not lost but is being undermined and may be lost if we don't make changes. A naturism that is slowly being eroded away not by the non-naturists in our society but by naturists themselves. The non-naturists in our society rely on us to show them what naturism is and guide them to trust it and want to try it. Men, women and children are waiting to to introduced to naturism, and it is only naturism that can welcome them in. We need to halt the damage we are doing to naturism and its reputation. We need to start repairing the damage and we need to do it as a united community involving the whole spectrum of the naturist society and not just the parts that we currently prefer to concentrate on.
We all have the power to make the decisions that bring about this positive change, we all have the power to take control, we all have the power to demand our clubs, and national bodies are behind that positive change, we all have the power to delete and block the wrong people on social media, to ignore the misguided attitudes and profiles and websites, to walk away from places and websites when they do not present the naturism we deserve. We all have the power to make little changes in how we present naturism to others. We all have the power to not book events, or visit venues that we feel are not supportive of genuine naturism and its future. We all have each other to share this journey with, and if you feel frustrated and ignored, or hopeless, we also all have ANW to fall back on as a platform and community that will only exist for naturism to Get Real and it will stay that way and fight back the tide even if it is the only place in the world that does. But if we all demand that naturism can and should only exist in its true and natural form and we vote with our feet and support the right examples then eventually the organisers and people that are letting us down will have to listen, because without the backing of the naturist community they just cannot exist.
We have a fight on our hands, and hopefully we also have some allies. It is a fight that needs fighting on two fronts. The non-naturists on one side and the naturists who are allowing naturism to lose its way on the other side. Anna and I have never thought the task would be easy, but it is a task that I feel enough naturists care about to want to put right. It is a fight that need not involve casualties though, as this is not a war but an awakening. It can be done peacefully with conviction and strength. That is how we should have dealt with the protestors, but that time is long past, the damage is not irreversible though, but the longer we leave it and the less we do the harder it will become to reclaim naturism and ensure it remains a life choice that we are all proud to have as part of our lives.
at June 5, 2024 11:28 PM BST 
This has been a fascinating few days in this topic, and it is easy to see how the more specific question of Entry Requirements has lead on to larger questions of naturism in general. After all the idea of segregation and denying access is a big part of how we view naturism today and also how we can guide it into a positive future or completely destroy it.
It is really worth going back and checking out the various links Steve shared around the forum in his opener to this topic.
Steve and I see there is a fine line to walk in this topic. Being completely against anyone being made to feel unwelcome in naturism without justifiable cause (ie disrespecting naturism, other naturists and the venue/club/website). But also understanding the dilemma that clubs like Broadlands face in ensure that there are space for couples and families. Ensuring that there is a range of people at a club is important to the clubs health, and when we spoke to people around the club we felt they were doing the best they could to ensure a balance, and they also didn't treat single women differently to single men. Ideally it would not be an issue they have to face, because ideally couples and families would be requesting membership at the same rate as single men and women. Opting to have a limit on single occupation of permanent pitches seems to make sense even if it can feel cruel. But singles can come as visitors and people do not lose their membership when they lose their partners for one reason or another. So an attempt is made to make it as fair as possible.
This topic takes on a big issue when looked at from a distance. The ongoing segregation question takes us beyond clubs and into all aspects of naturism, places where it simply shouldn't be, and also raises questions on the promoting of naturism. Don't mention families, but do ensure we appear obsessed with equal opportunity. Can there be equality when families are ignored and most single men feel unwanted? I cannot help but see the irony that clubs are attempting to ensure they have places available to couples and families, and yet naturism is promoting itself to single 20 somethings and attempting to blot out families all together. There must be an obvious conflict of interest that is visible to all, but what are the clubs doing about it. Very little that I can see, simply going along with the pattern and not stepping out and saying, wait a minute how is this going to help our future.
To me that is something we all have to do, step out from the oath naturism is taking, have a clear and subjective look at it, and recognise that things need to change, then change them. Naturism has a long past to look back on and learn from. Take the aspects of our past that have been positive and have worked, learn from the mistakes and then change the path's direction and guide it back on track.
It does feel that the whole world and not just naturism is off track at the moment. But that is no excuse. It is great that topics like this exist and ask questions and consider answers, but we also have to make sure that the answers are put into practise. I am sure Steve and I will be considering how we can do just that as we head into our 5th year with the wonderful ANW community.
It is very clear that clubs are struggling, and as we have seen via this forum thread, there is a lot of debate around quotas for whom gets what space, and there is no denying that within the textile world this is not happening.
We are not convinced that looking at issues such as diversity and gender serve any purpose within club levels, because naturism is and should always be the big equaliser for all. No one is above or below the other, everyone is a naturist and so therefore equal, and it matters not who your bed partner is or what ethnic background you share, simply put, everyone is welcome.
There is this idea that clubs are supposed to provide unity and safe haven for naturists, but it does appear that within the modern clubs of today, small groups have to a degree taken control and have shaped the clubs to what their specific tastes are, which are not always in line with what the modern outlook of naturism is.
Some of the rules placed on naturists simply do not apply in other aspects of life, and was seen recently in comments on this site, some rules are very discriminate to certain parties. Love them or hate them, tattoos and piercings have become a big part of modern life, and yet, some clubs do not allow them. When we preach naturism is for everyone to the young, and then exclude tattoos and piercings, we remove a large block of possible entrants. The same goes to issues such as LGBT, and as we now know, there has been a case reported where no member of the community can serve on the committee, it is blatant discrimination that send a signal to the rest of the LGBT community that they are not welcome there.
It appears that within some clubs, people are being pigeon holed, and it is a small group who control the clubs that are picking the holes for each person on a personal level, which is completely disrespectful, and goes against all of our naturist values of equality.
We feel a very important issue that is not discussed a great deal is that of membership fees. Whilst we are aware that at the moment utilities etc.. have skyrocketed in price, it is fact that in some cases, there is a barrier that excluded a high percentage of naturists joining which is financial. To a degree some clubs have deliberately priced themselves out of the lower markets to ensure they only attract the “Right sorts of People” We have seen this ourselves and had conversations around this issue with others, and we cannot agree this is a fair practice, elitist behaviour is at times a huge problem with in some clubs.
Naturism will only work where efforts are made to try and accommodate people on a fair footing. Anna quotes how Broadlands try to maintain a balance of everyone, and this feels like a very real and reasonable practice. Most naturists are aware that clubs can only host so many, and so can understand if a certain event is fully booked, after all, we see that equally as much in the textile world.
Having looked at this issue, we do feel the most pervasive rule of all, which does put off new members of our community, is the issue of “full nudity at all times” As much as many will argue with us, we do feel a clothing optional tolerance should be in place for newcomers. We have encountered clubs who absolutely refuse to allow a sarong or swimming costume for those who want to try naturism, but at their own pace as they work up the courage to try naturism for the first time. We feel seeing naturism at it best, is the best way to bring new people in, but forcing them to go nude at the desk on entrance for their first experience is not the best way to bring new people in. If they are allowed in, and allowed to see the club working at its best, we know that new people will relax faster, understand quicker, and be more likely to drop the sarong and join in. Not many places allow people to test drive naturism for the first time, and maybe it is time we relaxed some of these ultra strict rules, and instead of fearing the new, embraced them.
