and it goes on… will we fight for our rights???

by αNaturist, posted in active naturists

New York’s nudist community has been shocked by recent news: “Effective immediately, state nudity laws will be enforced at Fire Island National Seashore”

It means that three places that I’ve described here – Jones Beach, Lighthouse beach and the Pines of Fire Island – have to go off the list 😦

This is beyond sad, and there is no doubt that we need to fight for our rights, otherwise we’ll be easily stripped off them! The mere fact that “Public nudity has been prohibited in the State of New York since 1984 under New York State Penal Code 245.01”, i.e. it isn’t a vestige of some prudish pilgrim set of laws and is quite new, is scary enough. Look how situation developed in San Francisco: 2011, a towel law is proposed. I found it ridiculous that there had to be a LAW about it. It may be a courtesy, but do we need to put it in law that one has to hold the door for the next person, for example? Look how New York Times started there article: “Perhaps it should not be a surprise that San Francisco does not have a law against being naked in public, nor that a small, unselfconscious segment of the city’s residents regularly exercise that right.” And guess what, that was just a probe, they wanted to see how nudists and others would react, and reaction was very mild. So just a year later, a new law was proposed and passed prohibiting nudity in San Francisco entirely, except for specifically designated events. I myself thought to enjoy the last days of freedom and did naked yoga in Golden Gate park with a friend last November, but we got fined, because they had a law specifically against nudity in parks, which we didn’t know about. And already in February 2013, we’ve got first arrests for public nudity in San Francisco (see the video here): So what makes you think it won’t go any further? And if New York and San Francisco are the most liberal cities in the US, what can we expect other place in the US? What’s next?

16 thoughts on “and it goes on… will we fight for our rights???”

  1. Pingback: Save Lighthouse Beach – write letters! | Active Naturists

  3. Maybe New Yorker’s should write to their state senators and ask them to change the law, which has been in effect since July 3, 1983.

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  4. Pingback: Save Lighthouse Beach Fundraiser | Active Naturists

  5. Naturists should take their business to Gunnison Beach & the surrounding New Jersey area.Let the great political machine in New York deal with the loss of revenue

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    1. New York Times also wrote about it, but even if it starts with a dose of sympathy to “New Yorkers who want to be naked at the beach”, unlike the Wall Street Journal, it doesn’t sound very supportive overall.
      http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/nyregion/crackdown-on-nudity-planned-for-fire-island-beach.html?_r=0

      a scary fact from the article:
      “Anyone found in violation of the law — a class B misdemeanor — could face a fine of $5,000 and six months in jail.”

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  7. Ken Kushman NAC Area REP. Tampa Bay

    **********************************************************************
    NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE
    ADVISORY
    **********************************************************************
    http://www.naturistaction.org
    **********************************************************************
    Copyright 2013 by the Naturist Action Committee, which is responsible
    for its content. Permission is granted for the posting, forwarding or
    redistribution of this message, provided that it is reproduced in its
    entirety and without alteration.

    DATE : February 10, 2013
    SUBJECT: Fire Island National Seashore / Lighthouse Beach
    TO : All naturists and other interested parties

    Attention naturists:

    This is an Advisory from the Naturist Action Committee (NAC). Recently, Fire Island National Seashore Chief Ranger Lena Koschmann distributed a “to whom it may concern” letter, declaring that nudity would no longer be allowed on the property the National Park Service manages on behalf of the public. The area affected by the sudden decree includes the popular and traditional clothing-optional portions of Lighthouse Beach.

    BRIEF DISCUSSION

    While the letter from the Chief Ranger comes as a surprise to some, it reflects a number of familiar issues. For Ms. Koschmann, Fire Island is a relatively recent posting; her previous assignments with the Park Service have all been at sites where clothing-optional recreation is not the norm.

    Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to attribute this declaration entirely to a Chief Ranger who has been unfamiliar with the diversity that is a fundamental part of the clothing-optional use of public land. Nor would it be proper to place the entirety of the blame on Hurricane Sandy for the abrupt change in policy, though it’s certainly the case that nothing on Fire Island is the same post-Sandy as it was before the storm.

    Official concern predates both Koschmann and Sandy. On good weekends, Lighthouse Beach has been host to thousands of beachgoers. It’s inevitable that among such large numbers, there have been those who have misbehaved environmentally, as well as socially. Two groups, Long Island Travasuns and Save Lighthouse Beach have been working to educate uninformed visitors about proper clothing-optional beach etiquette and expectations. Both groups have proven themselves to be worthy stewards of the beach, and the marked improvement in overall behavior among visitors over the past three years can be attributed, in large part, to the performance of these two naturist groups.

    The National Park Service (NPS) receives little direct revenue from those who have used the clothing-optional areas at Lighthouse Beach. The overwhelming majority of visitors pay a fee to park at Robert Moses State Park, then they walk to the federal land. NPS receives none of the parking fee. Lighthouse Beach has become a cost center for NPS, and not a profit center. Cost centers are more easily marginalized in hard economic times and periods of recovery from disasters.

    For Fire Island, Superstorm Sandy certainly qualifies as a disaster. NPS personnel are still focusing, months later, on the ecological effects and damage to local infrastructure. Immediately after the storm passed, naturists were horrified to note that the dunes at the clothing-optional areas had been washed away. Dunes in a seashore environment are important for a number of reasons, but those dunes also acted as a visual barrier that separated compulsorily clothed areas from those that have been clothing-optional for years. Although it’s not the only factor, this Sandy-related threat of increased user conflict has played a part in the thinking of Seashore management.

    WHAT IS NAC DOING?

    On the morning the disturbing letter was released, the Naturist Action Committee took immediate action. As it has done successfully for certain other public land issues, NAC has retained legal counsel in Washington, DC. Intimately familiar with environmental issues and Department of Interior policy matters, NAC’s professional counsel is just one facet of NAC’s overall response to this critical situation.

    The Naturist Action Committee is working closely on this matter with local naturists and naturist groups. In an hour-long phone conversation on the day after Lena Koschmann’s letter, NAC gave AANR an overview of the situation, pertinent facts concerning the Seashore, and an overview of the action NAC intends to take.

    WHAT IS NAC ASKING YOU TO DO?

    This is an Advisory. NAC is not asking you to take specific action at this moment, though the proper time for that may not be too far in the future. At the present time, it’s important to remember:

    1) A barrage of uncoordinated complaints directed toward Seashore officials would be wasted effort. There will be a time at which your involvement will be essential, and NAC will ask for your forceful participation then. Keep your powder dry.

    2) Ad hominem attacks on Chief Ranger Koschmann or others are never appropriate and are likely to serve only to solidify attitudes against us.

    3) There will be a time for face-to-face meetings with Seashore managers. Now is not that time.

    4) In a situation like this, it’s important for you to stay informed. However, you must not be taken in by rumors. Watch for further NAC Action Alerts, Advisories and Updates.

    ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    You can find additional information, including this NAC Advisory and the complete text of the Koschmann letter, at http://naturistaction.org/FIIS or by visiting the NAC web site http://www.naturistaction.org and clicking on ALERTS.

    PLEASE HELP NAC CONTINUE HELPING NATURISTS!

    The Naturist Action Committee is a nonprofit volunteer organization committed to vigorous activism on behalf of the responsible clothing-optional use of public lands. NAC relies entirely on the voluntary financial support of people like YOU.

    The essential response to the frightening threat at Lighthouse Beach will be expensive, and it comes at a time that finds NAC’s war chest seriously depleted. Won’t you please send a generous donation to NAC?

    NAC
    PO Box 132
    Oshkosh, WI 54903

    Or call toll free (800) 886-7230 (8AM-4PM, Central Time, weekdays) to donate by phone using your MasterCard, Visa or Discover Card. Or use your credit card to make a convenient online donation:

    http://www.naturistaction.org/donate/

    Thank you for choosing once again to make a difference.

    Naturally,
    Dick Springer
    Board Member
    Naturist Action Committee

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    1. I signed up last summer with this organization. They are a small but mighty team working to save the beach. I hope more will be encouraged to sign up. Fingers crossed.

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  9. This saddens me as a frequent visitor to Lighthouse Beach. The regular beach goers are a community that look after the beach and are respectful of the nature around them. I could easily go to Jones Beach because of proximity each weekend, but I choose to visit Lighthouse for the nice atmosphere and good beach visitors.
    I hope this ruling will change.
    PS – I guess I will be traveling to Sandy Hook beach this summer. Better save up for gas and tolls.

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  10. This sucks.There are more important issues that need addressing.People are still out of their homes following storm sandy.An innocent thing like a nude beach should’nt be on a list of any kind.This is typical of politicians.They favor those with deep pockets.The founding fathers did right by separating church and state.They should have done the same with big business and rich folks.I’m church the clergy had something to say regarding this ban.I think it’s time for the masses of us regular folk to start counting our numbers and not say “what can YOU do”.We should say “What can WE do”.Petitions with many name won’t work.Many pre-printed letters with a signature on each will ligh lights.Each letter equal 100 votes.
    Let’s make it so.

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    1. yes, it is a good idea to write letters. do you have any idea where we should send them though? we can post the letter here and at other naturist websites, so people can print and send them out

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