Friday, May 20, 2011

Are Nudist Clubs & Resorts the Answer?

In post, "The Same Old Question", I mentioned that the evidence suggests that young adults reject old school nudism. In particular it seems they shy away from visiting traditional nudist landed clubs and resorts. Today I wanted to look at some suggestions that have been put forth for changing that.

Focus on the Clubs & Resorts

As Nikki Hoffman noted when she was interviewed for recent Wall Street Journal article on the decline of nudism & naturism, traditional nudist clubs & resorts simply aren't geared to attract the 18-35 demographic. I think it is hard to disagree with that since young adults seem to be staying away from traditional nudist venues in droves.

One suggestion frequently put forth in the interest of attracting more young adults to the clubs directly and nudism indirectly centers on changing the economic model. Most results charge annual membership fees as they always have. One club I have personal knowledge of allows a person only three visits before he or she must either purchase an annual membership or stop visiting. Tom Mulhall, who owns The Terra Cotta Inn resort with his wife Mary Clare, in a comment posted at Nudist Day, declared that landed clubs should stop charging annual membership dues and go to a charge per visit model.

Tom isn't the only one who believes that the high cost of annual memberships, which from personal experience run $300 or more per year, serves as a barrier to participation by young adults, many of whom simply can't afford them. The vast majority (90%) of the readers of this blog who participated in the most recent poll indicated that annual memberships should not be required but made an option. That way those who preferred to purchase them could but everyone would have the pay-as-you-go option of paying per visit.

It is true that younger adults, many of whom are just starting out in the workforce or only working part-time while attending college, likely find costly memberships unaffordable. At resorts where a person can visit only a few times without buying a membership, I agree that it could be a reason young adults might not visit. Yet it costs a good deal of money to operate clubs & resorts and seems reasonable to assume that those who sold fewer annual memberships would have to charge more in the way of per visit fees.

Day fees are already pretty pricey at many clubs in comparison to other recreational activities. Perhaps a change of economic models would then merely substitute one economic barrier for another. Yes, others have suggested offering discounted daily fees to young adults to counteract that, yet I am simply not convinced that the cost factor is really the reason why young adults don't find traditional nudist venues a major attraction. I tend to agree with Nikki Hoffman in that clubs & resorts simply don't offer what young adults are looking for.

Suggestions that have been put forth to attract younger adults that involve a change of focus on the part of club owners and managers to me make more sense than changing the way people pay for access. Some recommend that clubs establish specific areas devoted to young adults. I think it has to be accepted that many twenty to thirty year olds simply have no interest in hanging out nude with a group of people who are predominantly the age of their grandparents. As an alternative to segregation by age, another frequent suggestion is setting aside specific dates where the clubs are only open to those between the ages of 18-35. Some clubs already host annual weekends devoted to college age adults and have found success in attracting young adults for these events. Perhaps such events simply need to be offered on a more frequent basis.

Offering programs and activities aimed at young adults is another common suggestion. The traditional activities ─ potluck dinners, volleyball, themed dances, etc, simply aren't the kind of things younger adults find appealing. A little market research into the recreational likes and dislikes of the younger set might reveal things clubs could offer to enhance the appeal.

Certainly clubs could I think make some changes that might make the venues more appealing to the younger generation yet in my own opinion, the existing club model, even among clubs willing to incorporate major changes, simply is not the means by which nudism is going to attract younger adults in greater numbers. Rural-based clubs, often an hour or more from urban centers are I think the past not the future of nudism & naturism in this country.

Next time, we will take a look at some of the unconventional means used by some groups that have proven successful in attracting young adults to nudism.

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Same Old Question


In the last week I have come across no less than a half dozen new articles predicting the end of nudism. Each focused on what now should be a familiar theme ─ the aging of nudists resulting from the inability of the nudist establishment to attract young adults to the lifestyle. Although the question, "What can be done to attract young adults to the nudist lifestyle?" has been discussed to the point that some may see broaching the topic again as beating the proverbial dead horse, this new round of articles prompted me to revisit the topic once again.

Young Adults Reject Old School Nudism

One article in particular noted that adults who are members of Generation Y and Generation X (the 18-43 age groups) simply have little interest in traditional nudist clubs and resorts. At least with regard to the nudist venues I visit regularly, the points of the article seem valid. Very rarely have I encountered men or women of the younger generations. As a member of the Baby Boomer generation in my mid-fifties, frequently I find myself among the youngest at the landed clubs I visit.

It is no secret that membership in major nudist organizations has been flat or declining over the past several decades. Both AANR and Naturist Society membership stopped growing years ago. Many people now in their twenties and thirties simply aren't interested in joining. Another article noted that even the operators of nudist cruises and upscale nudist resorts are now starting to feel the pinch of a declining nude recreation industry that can't simply be attributed to economic circumstances.

With nudists growing more grayed and wrinkly and many even dying off, is America in danger of running out of nudists? Nicky Hoffman, head of The Naturist Society believes it could happen. Quoted in the May 2, 2011 Wall Street Journal article, "Wearing Only a Smile, Nudists Seek Out the Young and the Naked," she stated, "The whole lifestyle will just disappear unless we attract a younger crowd." Also according to Ms. Hoffman, "The problem is most of these resorts aren't geared to young people. They've become like retirement homes; they've sort of calcified."

Defining the Problem by Examining the Question

“How can we attract more young adults to nudism & naturism?” When I consider this question, I think it all boils down to the word "attract" and what we mean by attracting them. Both AANR and The Naturist Society have attempted to reach out to young adults and have tried to find new ways to appeal to the younger generation. Both have asked their younger members to reach out to their peers. AANR has organized an entire program, Vita Nuda, aimed at the under 35 demographic. Yet the slick videos produced by Vita Nuda that I've seen on You Tube seem an attempt to market nudism in the same old ways using younger spokespeople.

The thing is, the two big American nudist organizations seem to be searching for a program or solution to bring young adults into the existing nudism structure and therein I think we find the problem. If the under 35 crowd doesn't find the existing structure greatly appealing, to borrow a campaign quip from Barack Obama, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." To gain any real attraction among young adults, there will have to be some fundamental changes to the existing nudism structure. I'm not suggesting that the more than 250 nudist clubs and resorts in the U.S. need to go away. I do think there are ways that the existing clubs and resorts can find to appeal to a younger generation. But I also think it is time that nudists accept that nudism isn't defined by clubs and resorts. No matter how trendy, grand, amenities-intensive, or whatever they may be, clubs and resorts are only incidental to the survival of nudism. Nudists are nudism and it's the lifestyle that is fundamentally important.

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In the next post, I will share some suggestions that I as well as others propose for improving the attraction of existing clubs & resorts. In a third and final related post, some new, unconventional strategies that have shown success in attracting young adults will be examined.

Friday, April 29, 2011

Part 3: Nudism as a Cultural-Political Movement


A simple evaluation of the lifestyle against those discrete elements that define a cultural-political movement disqualifies nudism and naturism as such. Consider these examples:

While we have two national membership organizations, AANR and The Naturist Society neither body serves as cohesive leadership. Neither works to curry favor from among the country's political and economic power brokers, necessary to launch a movement.

Our community does little in the way of actively recruiting new participants either on a strategic or tactical level. Our national organizations focus on "educating" the masses and "promoting" nude recreation as a wholesome, healthy lifestyle but do little if anything in the way of getting the message out to the average non-nudist that forcing the lifting of the societal imposed restrictions on the responsible practice of nudism would positively impact on the civil liberties of all. That is I think an area where we all, from the national organizations to individual nudists fall woefully short.

In an environment where civil liberties for all are shrinking at an alarming rate, it seems to go virtually unnoticed. Our centralized governments grow larger, more powerful, and less responsive to calls for change and no one seems to care as the reality of an Orwellian society looms ominously on the horizon.

Recruiting those who share similar values and patriotic principles from among general society in support civil liberties, irrespective of their opinions on nudism is essential if nudism is ever to gain any traction toward becoming a more mainstream part of American culture.

All successful cultural-political movements of the past were able to do this. A great number of white Americans who were not personally impacted by racial segregation joined with black Americans in the cause of equal civil rights during the American Civil Rights movement. These individuals were made aware of fact that they too were stakeholders in the movement even if only indirectly affected by racial inequality and segregation.

Neither our national nudist organizations nor we as individuals do much in the way of removing barriers to participation for potential recruits to our cause. We haven't done enough to counter the stereotypes and stigma that so many in our society associate with our culture. Until and unless we do, we are going to find it tough going to recruit allies from among the members of general society or to develop support among those holding the reins of political and economic power. Who outside the culture of nudism wants to be saddled with the reputation of being aligned with nudists?

Finally, we lack even a collective identity among ourselves. The type of person attracted to nudism typically is typically an individualist, unafraid of bucking conventional thinking. Individualism is in my opinion a positive trait. On the other hand, many nudists carry the independent streak to the extreme, becoming in a real sense isolationists. They don't need an AANR or TNS membership card. They don't need to be part of club with what they consider ridiculously restrictive rules on things like body jewelry or open sexual behavior. They are convinced that they know what nudism is about and don't need the acceptance or opinions of others.

The problem with isolationist thinking is that it slowly but surely erodes the bedrock principles on which nudism was founded leaving us with a message that lacks fundamental coherence or continuity. Disagreement and fragmented thinking within the community prevents the articulation of any clear message to those on the outside.

The whole point of this is that there are lots of little details that we are all free as individuals to have different opinions and perspectives on, but individual opinions on minor, peripheral concerns shouldn't divide us on the larger issues. Such a state of affairs fragments our cohesion and continuity to the degree that nothing is accomplished in the cause of moving nudism forward.

In conclusion, nudism simply does not fit the criteria of a cultural or cultural-political movement. Principally, the lack of strong leadership, absence of unity, and the nonexistence of a common, long range vision are the reasons why. It doesn't mean that the lifestyle couldn't become a viable cultural-political movement but that can happen only if proponents of nudism find a way to address the missing necessary elements.

Is the goal of becoming a cultural-political movement something nudists & naturists collectively should aspire to? There would be some real advantages to pursuing such a goal. Therein lays perhaps the most favorable chance for gaining wider mainstream acceptance, a key ingredient towards expanding access to public lands for nude recreation and the decriminalization of public nudity.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Part 2: Nudism as a Cultural-Political Movement


Wisconsin 2011 Tax Day Tea Party Rally
Credit: WisPolitics.com | Wikimedia Commons

Defining a Cultural-Political Movement

Based on notes from a sociology class lecture, cultural or social movements can be defined as a type of group action focused on bringing about social change. Cultural movements are generally of long duration and attract many participants who share common goals for changing a specific societal construct.

The participants attracted to social movements often disagree on the specific tactics and strategies that should be used to affect the desired changes in a specific structure of society. As an example some may favor achieving change through peaceful demonstration while others advocate violent confrontation.

The means by which participants in a social movement choose for affecting the desired social change whether it be peaceful demonstration or violent confrontation is in part where the political enters into the equation. A purely cultural or social movement takes on the character of a political movement when there is a focus on the political process as an opportunity for social change. The present-day "Tea Party" I think serves as a useful example of a social, political movement.

Types of Cultural or Social Movements

Cultural and social-political movements can be categorized as reform movements or radical movements. Examples of reform movements include:
  • American labor union movement
  • Environmental movement
  • Tea Party movement
Examples of radical movements include:
  • American Civil Rights movement
  • South African Anti-Apartheid movement
  • Current Libyan revolt
One of the key parts of any social, political movement is what social theorists term the "mobilization process." Identification of an ongoing mobilization process is one good way of identifying a cultural-political movement. During this process movement leadership:
  • Attempts to build a power base among sympathetic political and economic elites
  • Recruits new participants for the movement from among the members of general society who share similar beliefs
  • Actively motivates group participants to action
  • Removes barriers to participation to aid the recruitment effort
  • Creates a collective identity among participants
Once we have defined what a cultural-political is, observed what it looks with the aid of examples, and identified the chief attributes we can easily use simple comparison to determine whether nudism & naturism meet the criteria as a cultural-political movement. Look for Part 3: Nudism as a Cultural-Political Movement on Friday to learn whether nudism fits the category.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Part 1: Nudism as a Cultural-Political Movement


Credit: Abernathy Family Photos | Wikimedia Commons
American Civil Rights Movement

While doing the research for my recent eBook I noticed something that I wanted to revisit after the book was published. I began writing this on Monday evening and before I knew it, the piece was nearing 1,800 words! So, out of compassion for my readers, I decided to break this discussion down into three, more easily digestible parts.

Usually I don't use Wikimedia articles as sources for the things I write, even when writing a blog post, but today I'm making an exception.

It isn't that I have the kind of disdain for Wikimedia that's common in academic circles. Quite the contrary I have read some excellent, scholarly Wikimedia articles where the quality of the research and references were impeccable by any standards. But since everyone from public school teachers to college professors to editors forbid the use of Wikimedia as a source, as a writer who writes sometimes for pay, I'm just not in the habit of citing from there myself.

The citation from Wikimedia that is pertinent to my topic today is, "Naturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practicing, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public." It is the opening sentence in the article, "Naturism" last modified on April 23, 2011. I chose to use it because even though I have read the exact sentence elsewhere in the past from a source that even the pickiest professor or editor would consider credible, I have been unable to find it again.

Whichever collaborator that supplied the sentence cited the 2002-2003 World Naturist Handbook, published by the International Naturist Federation as the source. If memory serves, I do believe that it was the International Naturist Federation website where I originally read it. But that isn't really material to the points of discussion today.

What I wanted to weigh in on was the question, "Is naturism and nudism a cultural and political movement?" While I completed fifteen semester hours of undergraduate Sociology courses that of course doesn't come close to qualifying me as an expert on the study of human social behavior. Yet human social behavior has always fascinated me and so I like to research it, read about it, and discuss it, especially when it comes to trying to define naturism and nudism within the framework of social behavior.

At various times, in various places I have seen naturism and nudism categorized in sociological terms as a lifestyle, a subculture, a deviant subculture, a counter-culture, a social movement and as a social, political movement. There is an argument I think for all of those classifications save cultural movement and cultural-political movement. And on Wednesday, I'll tell you why in Part 2: Nudism as a Cultural-Political Movement.

~~~~

Book Notes

Just a short note on American Nudist Culture. It is now on sale at Amazon in the Kindle edition. I'm heartened that in just a few days since publication several copies have already been sold and even more people have viewed the sample available at Smashwords. Since this was the first forum in which I shared information on the book I assume that the kind readers of TEN are responsible for the early sales and I am very grateful for that. I am eager to hear your opinions on the book be they good, bad, or indifferent.


Saturday, April 23, 2011

Thinking About a Road Trip

At least here in my neck of the woods, it rained quite a bit on Thursday and has been overcast for the last three days. After getting a good start on my summer tan, without tan line of course, I haven't had a chance to get any sun lately. While my garden needed the rain and it was appreciated, the current cloudy conditions, according to the National Weather Service, won't be changing any time soon. This sure puts me in the mind for a road trip somewhere that is getting some sun.

The Possibilities

No firm plans yet but there are a couple of places that easily come to mind. For some time now I have been intending to make a trip to Desert Sun Resort in Palm Springs or to Cypress Cove in Florida. I've yet to visit both places and either would likely be a great trip with plenty of sunshine. But since I am in the midst of building a new house and have yet to get the roof on it, I think I'd feel guilty about taking more than a few days away at this particular time. Especially since I just returned from a lengthy vacation to Australia in February. So maybe instead I'll just take 3 or 4 days and head down to either Bluebonnet or Wildwood, two of my favorite Texas landed clubs. I'm in the mood to do some tent camping since the warm weather has arrived and both have excellent, shady sites available along with the amenity that I simply must have, free WiFi!

The Poll

I have been so appreciative of the good number of readers who have already voted in the new poll. I have something to share next week that relates to the poll which is why it occurred to me to post it. If you haven't voted yet, please do before the poll closes next week. I managed to successfully pass a couple of statistical course in college so I know these polls aren't truly scientific, but I think they are fun and at least give some insight into your opinions.

Friday, April 22, 2011

My eBook Has Been Published


















Since retiring last October I have made a lot of changes. Not only did I bid a found adieu to the work force, I have moved to a quiet, rural area where I can have more freedom to enjoy the Naturist lifestyle uninhibited by urban crowding. I'm in the process now of literally building a new home as in cutting every piece of lumber and driving every nail. I have a modest pension but since I'm well short of the traditional retirement age, assuming there is such a thing anymore, I needed something to supplement my income and so turned to freelancing by writing web content. That had become in itself almost a full-time job and that along with building a house explains why I haven't done much with this blog during the past year.

As a part of my freelancing networking activities, I happened to meet some other writers who had taken to writing and publishing eBooks. After asking lots of questions, between the freelancing and building I started on a project I have been thinking about for a couple of years, writing a book about the nudist culture.

There are of course a number of good and authoritative books on the topic, but usually they relate to nudist & naturist culture in Europe. So what I wanted to produce was a book about American nudist culture. My intent was to hopefully clear up some of the persistent misconceptions and myths about nudists and the lifestyle in general, at least among the more open-minded folks in clothed society. I also wanted to write something useful for people who have heard about nudism, felt intrigued enough to consider trying it but who might need just a little more factual information about it before deciding to take the plunge.

A couple of weeks ago I finished the book, satisfied that it was a fairly good and straight forward explanation of nudist culture and something those contemplating the lifestyle might find as a useful guide. I submitted it first for publication as an eBook and as of today it is available at a couple of e-commerce sites including Smashwords and Barnes & Noble. Smashwords offers several different formats both for those who have an electronic reader and those who don't. The Barnes & Noble version is specifically for Nook Reader owners. They do however have free Nook PC and MAC readers available for download at the site for those who don't own a Nook.

In a day or two, the eBook will also be available at Amazon for Kindle owners. And I just submitted the manuscript yesterday for consideration to a paperback book publisher.

The book is a basic introduction to wholesome, non-sexual nudism & naturism, sort of a Nudist 101 approach. After fifteen chapters, I decided I had to stop somewhere to get it published but envision I will be revising and adding additional chapters in the future. Of course I'd love for people to buy the book. After all selling books is the best way an author can find out whether he or she has written something people find useful. But the point of this post isn't an appeal for readers to buy the book but a request that readers who have the time, take a look at it and provide some feedback.

Both Barnes & Noble and Smashwords allow readers to sample the book without buying it. That seems fair to me since it makes the eBook buying experience similar to actually going to a brick and mortar store, browsing the stacks and flipping through a physical book that catches your interest. If anyone chooses to read the samples I welcome any comments - good, bad or different. Find something you don't agree with? Think of something I should have included that was left out? Were you left with unanswered questions? These are the exact kind of things that will help me produce a better book in the next revision. Assuming everything goes well with the paperback, once I have copies in hand I have in mind to give a few away via a contest for readers of this blog so stay tuned. Sometimes we know people we would like to explain nudism & naturism to and why we find it appealing and meaningful but sometimes just can't seem to come up with the right words. This book, American Nudist Culture could do that job for you if passed on to someone you would like to see get involved in the lifestyle or at least understand it better.

Here are the current links to the book and I'll add one for Amazon when it becomes available;

Barnes & Noble Nook Version

American Nudist Culture

Get the free Nook for PC reader here

Get the free Nook for MAC, iPhone, iPad and Android readers here

Smashwords Version

American Nudist Culture

At Smashwords the book can be downloaded in several different formats or simply read online.


If you should read the sample or perhaps decide to buy a copy, don't forget to let me know what you think by either posting a comment here, with an email or by rating the book through the e-commerce sites. And if you enjoy the book and find it useful, please mention it to other nudists you know.

Young Adult Nudist Groups at Odds

No one inside the nudist & naturist community is unaware of the difficulty our culture has in attracting young adults. Much has been written about the "aging" demographics of the nudist culture. A number of theories have been put forth that attempt to explain why young adults, ages18 to 30 do not embrace Nudism in large numbers.

Everyone from the national nudist organizations to individual clubs and resorts have sought ways to attract the younger generations in larger numbers. The assumption is that unless the nudist lifestyle gets a reasonable inflow of new blood, the nudist & naturist lifestyle may eventually disappear altogether and at least as far as the traditional AANR-type nudist clubs go. Given the realities, it stands to reason that all nudists & naturists would applaud a new, vibrant group founded for the very purpose of promoting the benefits of nudist lifestyle to young adults by seeking to raise the general awareness of what Nudism & Naturism have to offer to those between 18 and 30.

Young Naturists and Nudists America Arrives on the Scene

On November 28, 2010, a press release announced the founding of just such a group with the express aim to promote naturism to young adults in the area encompassing New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The stated goal of the group, Young Naturists and Nudists America, was to educate young adults about what naturism & nudism have to offer them and to raise their awareness of the positive benefits of the lifestyle. The organization began by putting up an educational website in October 2010 and then began planning and hosting nudist events in the greater New York - New Jersey area to garner more participation among young Americans in the naturist & nudist lifestyle. The group sought to "show the AANR how its done" when it came to garnering interest in Nudism among the "younger tech savvy community" by creating a fresh, relevant and informative website and by harnessing integrating the powerful social networking tools available with the Internet.

Controversy Erupts

The organization has since enjoyed some rather phenomenal success in attracting young Americans to become registered members of the web-based group, attracting participants to the hosted events and followers on the organization's Facebook page. Yet recently, YNA has come under fire from the founder of another young adult nudist group, Florida Young Naturists. That group's founder, Robbe White, published on the FYN website, a Public Statement regarding YNA (Young Naturists America), dated March 3, 2011, in which he stated, "I do not support YNA." In the statement, White justifies his non-support by explaining that the YNA Facebook page contributes to the linkage between social nudity and sex by seemingly welcoming "self-proclaimed, proud voyeurs, exhibitionists and swingers" to the folds of YNA and thus does a disservice to the naturist community. White went on to say that, "From what I can gather YNA is a lifestyle [swingers] group" that harmed the reputation of respect and wholesomeness that traditional naturists had worked hard to build.

The YNA Response

Understandably, perhaps YNA founders were outraged by White's public statement and a "war of words" began via posts to the YNA website and Facebook page. An entire forum thread on the site titled, "Robbe White of Florida Young Naturists Attacks YNA - Again," was started by one of the YNA founders, J. Blum. Another YNA founder, "Felicity" posted a scathing response to White's statements terming them "ludicrous and unfounded accusations."

While I'm not taking sides in the argument, the truth about YNA is likely somewhere in the middle between the respective positions of White and YNA founders. Reading the forum thread referenced above in its entirety, as it goes along, YNA does not in my opinion seem to distance itself strongly enough from embracing a policy of excluding those who may be attracted to YNA membership and hosted events for reasons other than wholesome, non-sexual nudity. The tone seems to be that the sexuality of others is not their business or the business of White, and that excluding people from participation at YNA or from the nudist lifestyle just because they may also embrace swinging or other non-traditional sexuality is prejudicial and old-fashioned.

In fairness to YNA, I have followed the group since becoming aware of the organization in November 2010. Based on the information presented both on the YNA website and a companion blog owned and published by "Felicity" I have to say I was impressed with the pureness of the motives and intents of YNA in the beginning. I think they sincerely wanted to introduce young adults in greater numbers to traditional, wholesome and non-sexual Nudism & Naturism. In a way perhaps, YNA has simply become a victim of its own success.

The Internet can be a powerful tool for any movement, including Nudism. The problem is that even legitimate nudist & naturist websites that provide social networking attract more than their fair share of perverts and predators, along with a good number of swingers who for some reason feel the need to try and co-opt Nudism to garner credibility. The fact is, Nudism and Naturism is about enjoying nudity for the sake of the joy and freedom of being nude, either alone or with others. Swinging on the other hand is about sex, having sex with a partner or partners other than your own. Nudity within the swinger lifestyle is simply peripheral to the lifestyles true focus. I am not condemning swingers, I just wish that as a nudist they would identify with their own lifestyle instead of trying to be considered a part of non-sexual Nudism & Naturism. Certainly, there are likely many "true" nudists who also participate in swinging but the fact is a nudist engaged in swinging is participating in the swinger lifestyle not in traditional Nudism.

Visiting the YNA website just today, while visiting the community page I saw a number of photographs uploaded to the site that were nothing but crude "crotch shots." I also found on the Facebook page and forums a number of posts by YNA members expressing the opinion that since sexuality was a private and individual matter there was nothing inherently wrong with a person mixing sex with Nudism and Naturism. If YNA wants to be a respected and credible voice for the nudist & naturist culture, they should spend less time on public denouncements of their critics and more time ferreting out the undesirables and swinger lifestylers within their membership. Crotch shots are not appropriate, especially the ones like I observed that sported a disembodied erect penis, have no place on a legitimate nudists & naturists website. No forum posts should go unchallenged by site moderators that proclaim that mixing nudism with sex is an individual decision and there is nothing wrong with it.

I think YNA has accomplished some positive things for nudist culture and has the potential for being a positive force among young adults. Yet if the organization does not take effective steps to address the issues that unfortunately all legitimate nudist websites face, the will simply continue to lose respectability and credibility among real nudists & naturists. If any nudist website is allowed to remain too all-inclusive then soon it becomes just as slimy and lacking in credibility among true nudists as a site like "Pure Nudism" that is nothing more than a garden-variety porn site.