It’s a Tuesday morning, the infinite blue sky of Byron Bay has opened up and the six naturists – four men, two women – have stripped down to their birthday suits for a quick dip in the buff.
This section of beach – an 800-metre stretch along the vast coastline – forms the only legal clothing-optional beach in the shire. Among those taking advantage of the opportunity to be out in the open is Duncan James, vice-president of Northern Rivers Naturists, who is something of an evangelist for “embracing the beach as Mother Nature intended.”
“Many of the beach users have described the clothing-optional beach as their happy place, a place where they can disconnect from modern day stresses, a place they can feel at one with nature,” he says.
There is, however, a metaphorical cloud on the horizon. On Sunday, Tyagarah is set to be stripped of its status as an official clothing-optional beach.
“I guess these values aren’t shared by New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service [NPWS], who are hell-bent on closing one of Byron’s last alternative community hubs and experiences,” James says.
Not sure why what I said is so unpopular? Basically I don’t want to see naked kids, and don’t want others to know of a place to look at naked kids.
And that’s…somehow me being crazy?
What’s so different about a kid being naked compared to an adult being naked? Also, if you don’t want to see naked kids, just… don’t look at them? I don’t get what your problem is here.
Well, I know kids today aren’t being raised with the same protections I was as a kid. Kids swear more often now, see more violent tv than I did, and see sex more often than I did.
However I still maintain that kids should be treated as if they are as innocent as I was as a kid. I didn’t know what sex was until puberty, and thats the way it should be. Let them have a childhood.
You start making it known “hey, this is a place where naked kids are”, then you’ll inevitably have people going there specifically to see the naked kids. And you’ll never know which ones are doing that. Nobody suspects the pedophile until they’re caught…which tells me the uncaught ones are just out there consequence free.
And as far as “just not looking”, I covered this with the naked guys. I don’t mind seeing the naked guy, even though I don’t want to. You’re going to see it if you’re there. It’s just going to at some point be in your visual line of sight. With adults, at least they’re consenting adults who understand that any visitor to that beach, at anytime might sexualize them in their own mind. Children can’t consent to that, because they don’t understand the severity of the situation.
They can still be innocent at nude beaches. There aren’t any orgies there or whatever you think a nude beach is.
Creeps gonna creep. Only way to avoid them is to not go outside. And honestly who cares? Maybe I’m a bit desensitised, but if someone stares at me at the beach, why should I care? Same goes for the ones staring at children, with the difference that children don’t even worry about stuff like that. I also think you overestimate the amount of people who actually go there to creep. It’s not even necessary to go to a nude beach for that, I’ve seen plenty of naked kids at regular beaches.
“[…] because they don’t understand the severity of the situation.” What severity? What’s going to happen to the kids? Do you seriously think they worry about being sexualised? When I was a kid, we would run around naked in our backyard, lots of neighbours were able to see us. Did I worry about that in the slightest? Nope.
You’re worrying too much.
This just reads so… Strange. Nobody is advocating telling young kids about sex.
There is nothing inherently sexual about a naked human body. It’s only weird if you’re making it weird and, well, you are.