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.
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.
Even if they were, I don’t think I would take issue with it. Sex is a natural part of life and society. I think prudish/taboo attitudes towards sex create more problems than they solve.
Fully agree though as a broad rule but there’s an age of innocence that needs respecting IMO. I got told by an older boy I knew when I was just 8 and honestly that was not great. My own barometer is that if you still believe in Santa we’ll have the talk later.
Funny story - Our eldest had some broad strokes when we sat him down but thought from the playground stories that you used a condom if you wanted to get pregnant. I was very glad to clear that little misconception up.
Yeah, that’s probably not the best way to find out.
I’m not sure I necessarily agree. I had books like Visual Dictionary of the Human Body within reach since I was a toddler, so I don’t recall the ideas of “sex” or “where babies come from” ever being a big deal or a shocking revelation.
Funnily enough, I don’t think I ever believed in Santa either, so I guess your barometer checks out :)
Yeah, fair enough. I suppose that’s unusual in the West if that’s where you’re from.
I mean it depends on your background a bit. I don’t think kids who grow up on a farm have any doubt.
My rule of thumb is if the kid can ask a cogent question (just not the Why? or How come? ones) then they deserve an honest answer.
Nobody may be advocating for it, but it happens due to lazy parenting. I heard one 10 year old on the bus a few months ago tell another about his age “Suck my dick!”.
When I was his age I’d never heard such phrases. I wouldn’t even know TO say that. They hear it from whatever media, whether its tv, or youtube, or movies. Nobody is saying anyone is doing this in person, but lazy parenting leads to it happening.
I’m honestly not sure if you’re trolling or not at this point. We’re discussing nude beaches here. Lazy parenting and kids using bad language is nothing to do with nude beaches.
Like… Nothing at all.
Because a nude beach is supposed to be sexual. And a kid is the wrong element for that. They’re supposed to not even know about nudity or sex at that age.
Right. Now we’re getting to the crux of it and I understand where your thinking is coming from but…
This is absolutely incorrect. Like totally wrong. There is nothing sexual about a nude beach.
EVERYTHING nude is sexual…but especially beaches. I mean, only two types of people go to beaches. People looking to fuck in the lake while people watch, and the other, seperate part of the beach where families take their kids in the summer to swim.
Now you’re removing the part where you have to sneak around at the beach, and make it nude to start with. How is that NOT sexual? Except …now theres kids. At the part of the beach where you fuck.
I’m gonna break something to you here that might blow your mind… Europeans (and the people in the article) do not go to a nude beach to fuck. They’re going there to feel more natural in nature.
Naked bodies are not sexual unless you sexualise them, which you are doing. The statue of David is a fine example here.
I honestly have never heard of a sexual nude beach in my life before. Maybe they exist where you live.
Edit:
If this is your world view I don’t think we’ll ever agree. That’s kinda messed up IMO.
That’s Europe though. They do a lot of things differently. Here in America, even the non-nude beaches are beaches for fucking in secret.
What a weird take. I knew where babies came from long before I reached puberty, and this knowledge had no negative impact on my childhood whatsoever.
Unless you’re like 80, that’s not true at all. Every generation since gen x has gotten more prudish.
I’m 40, and I was told I was being too scandalous for dating a black girl. 10 years ago teens were twerking, because Miley Cyrus did it.
How is that getting more prudish?
Sounds like you just moved away from a hyper conservative area, or your local hyper conservative area caught up to the rest of the world. 40 years ago bankers were doing lines of cocaine off of strippers tits during their lunch break. The 80s were fucking WILD.