No Sunscreen Allowed! Really???

ABC NEWS reported a story yesterday that's just unbelievable .  It seems a mom in Washington state sent her daughters to a school field day, along with pack lunches and sunscreen that the girls could apply over the course of the day.  Their skin is very fair. One suffers from albinism. They burn easily.

But school officials refused to allow the girls to put on sunscreen (or to provide an alternate) because it is considered a form of "medication."  Without a doctor's note in writing it would be strictly against the rules to let them "self medicate" during school hours.  The result? The kids got sunburned! Badly!

The story has exposed the fact that, indeed, most school systems ban use of sunscreen unless it's under a doctor's orders.  There's even talk that some summer camps do the same.

If your children were to attend a Kids Nudist Summer Camp during the season you can bet on one thing: they would at least be allowed to use sunscreen!

Live Birth MRI OK, Breastfeed Pics Not?

THE INTERNET is such a strange place these days, with "rules" and "standards" that seem to change by the hour and make little sense to the Bare Platypus.

Today, for example, the front page of Google News carried a story about the first-ever live birth filmed in an MRI chamber .  With the chamber cam covering all "movement" it's very easy to tell that a live birth is taking place, and to view the exact moment that a fetus becomes a baby.  It seems this video has the potential to be a great educational tool for obstetricians-to-be, parents, etc. We have no problem with this filming and online posting if it promotes a greater understanding of the human body.

Our only question is, why does this video somehow pass the unwritten guidelines for useful instruction, when pictures (or video) of breastfeeding do not?  Why is video of a fetus passing through mom's birth canal "ok" while video of a toddler streaking naked along the beach is not okay? Or will Facebook eventually decide to suspend the account of anyone displaying the MRI birth on their Facebook page? 

Ah, well.  The complications of filming and displaying a live birth in an MRI provide one more reason for Platypuses to stick with laying eggs!

Celebrate Independence from Clothes on JULY 4th

THE MOST famous of summer holidays is nearly upon us.  Plan now to celebrate Independence Day by declaring independence from your clothes!  Remember too that the annual celebration of Nude Recreation Week closely follows the July 4^th holiday weekend.  Many nudist clubs offer special events and pricing to get first time visitors to give nudism a try.

You can make Jello cups in red, clear, and blue layers, then enjoy them naked outside or inside.  No clothes to clean up!

You can buy some fireworks and/or sparklers if they’re legal in your state, then appoint a designated (clothed) person in your group to light them off while the naked observers admire from a safe distance.

You can enjoy a picnic in the buff---whether in your yard or living room.

You can also celebrate that some of America’s best patriots and leaders enjoyed skinny dipping.  John Quincy Adams took daily dips in the Potomac.  Benjamin Franklin spent at least an hour each day completely naked in his room after waking.  Lyndon Johnson skinny dipped to exercise and ease his mind as the Vietnam War waged.

Similarly, nudity has played a significant role on the stage of American history from time to time.  There was even a Civil War skirmish fought between soldiers who got caught with their pants down when the enemy showed up unexpected!  See http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/ArticleRobertSmall.htm

06/24/12 Walter of the Week

JODI JAECKS is the distinguished recipient of this week's Walter award for significant contributions to "normalizing" the human body.

Jaecks is a breast cancer survivor who underwent mastectomy surgery twice as the disease claimed parts of her body, but didn't conquer her spirit.  She pursued swimming for exercise and to build stamina, but couldn't get a swimsuit to fit properly. Moreover, nerve endings in her doctored chest caused her pain when the suit tugged in the water.

Ms. Jaecks asked the Seattle Parks and Recreation department if she could swim topless in department pools and was initially told, "no."  When her story made local headlines, the Parks and Recreation department reconsidered and said it would make an exception to its rule requiring "gender appropriate" swimwear.

Realizing that a sole exception will benefit her but leave other breast cancer survivors to potentially the same experience she endured, Ms. Jaeks is now pressing Seattle to change its rules on topless swimming for all who have had to undergo the surgeon's scalpel.  You can read more by clicking Seattle .

To Jodi Jaecks who overcame breast cancer and made us all rethink what is "appropriate" swim attire, this week's Walter is for you!

Play Naked in the Rain

TROPICAL STORMS have battered a number of states this week, dumping inches and inches of rain.  No sun for nude sunbathing, so what’s a nudist to do?  Be a kid again!

Why not take off your clothes, go outside, and let the rain fall?  Make mud pies in your birthday suit!  Add some soap to a slip n slide and let the rain provide the water!  Escape cabin fever and do it naturally naked. 

Breast Cancer Survivor Allowed to Swim Topless

ONE BIG story appearing in news media this week concerns a woman who underwent a double mastectomy, overcame breast cancer, then couldn't get a swimsuit to fit right.  It's about a Seattle, Washington parks and recreation pool which, at first, refused to allow this woman to swim topless.

Most importantly it's about a system that reconsidered, changed its mind, and did the right thing.  We invite you to read News Accounts .

Now that we accept that a woman can swim topless when her breasts have been removed during life-saving surgery, will we take the next step and let our young daughters without developed breasts swim topless too?  Ultimately, will we realize that breasts are not sexual objects---or at least do not have to be---on any female?

We can only hope!

Supreme Court Ruling a Hollow Victory for Nudity on TV

BARE PLATYPUS closely followed a case that went all the way to the US Supreme Court this term.  It started years ago when the Federal Communications Commission levied fines of $1 million+ against ABC television stations for airing an episode of NYPD Blue that included a woman's bare buttocks.  The scene showed her derriere as viewed from the perspective of a young boy who mistakenly walked in on her while she dried herself after showering.  (Separately, the case also involved expletives uttered during an awards program broadcast live by the Fox network.)

This week the High Court Threw Out the Fines but issued no sweeping vindication of nudity or the 1st Amendment.  Instead, the Court merely ruled that the TV networks in question couldn't have foreseen that they would face massive fines over the incidents given that the FCC had made some changes in its indecency policy.  The ruling leaves the FCC free to make future changes to the policy and does not give advocates on either side the decisive answers they sought.

For our part, the Bare Platypus has to ask, what could be objectionable about simple footage of a woman showering?  We all shower most mornings.  We all have a bum.  Just how does reminding us of those two facts cross the line into indecency?

06/17/12 Walter of the Week

AS YOU may know, Bare Platypus presents the Walter Award every Tuesday to honor the “cook naked on Tuesday” tradition observed by Dr. Walter Bishop of the TV series Fringe.

Given that the award got started in commemoration of naked cooking, it seems only natural to present one to the Richmond Ham company in recognition of their new ad campaign entitled “As Nature Intended.”

The Richmond Ham ad features real naked people singing the virtues of this naturally delicious food.  It is obvious that they are, indeed, completely naked and we see more than one bare bottom.  Especially the narrator / singer.

See it by clicking You Tube .

To the Richmond Ham company, we honor you with this week’s Walter Award.  And we hope you’ll cook naked!

Are We Wearing Naked Genes?

MEDIA WERE all abuzz with stories this week about Nik Wallenda and his plan to cross over Niagara Falls on a high wire.  Wallenda is a seventh generation descendent of the renowned family of aerialists and grandson of Karl Wallenda---who formed the walking human pyramid act that claimed the lives of four family members that fell to their deaths when the pyramid collapsed in 1962. 

Nik says that the will to perform death defying feats runs “in his blood,” and science would appear to agree.  Biologists quoted in the story linked above note that certain humans like Nik carry a thrill-seeking gene in their DNA.

That got the Bare Platypus wondering if there’s a genetic predisposition to enjoy being naked.  We already know that some humans find sun tanning genuinely addictive.  We know some with autism bear a "genetic-like" predisposition to dislike having any clothes touch their bodies.  And we recognize that certain cultures (especially Northern Europeans like Germans, French, and Scandinavians) embrace nudity more often than others.

Will biologists someday announce that folks like the Bare Platypus inherited naked genes that pre-dispose us to favor our birthday suits?  That’s an idea as lofty as the clouds Nik Wallenda passes through while traipsing his tightrope. 

Could Being a Nudist Give You Bad Credit?

THE BARE Platypus has often pondered the impact of technology on home and social nudism.  We’ve discussed the likely effect of Instagram, Google Glass, Cloud Computing, and Data Rationing.  Now there’s a new issue.

This week a German credit rating company pulled back from a plan to acquire mass amounts of Facebook data.  The company claimed it merely wanted to better serve and market to customers. 

We understand that companies use information from social media to target advertising, such as placing a banner ad for RV insurance on the welcome page of a user who lists an interest in camping.  But privacy experts fear the worst when sensitive material gets in the hands of a credit rating company. 

For example, suppose such a company learned you “liked” a Facebook campaign to legalize marijuana? Rightly or wrongly, it could conclude you're more likely to wind up in jail and unable to pay your bills, then lower your credit score accordingly.

Now suppose that those who assess credit scores learned you follow Bare Platypus, or subscribe to the All Nudist e-Newspaper.  Would they assign you a lower credit score for being “more likely to be fired by an employer" over your private life?

Some of you are probably shouting “Bring it on!” at your computer screens about now.  Others are probably busy adopting new cryptic pseudonyms for their screen names.

Lies Our Fathers (and Mothers) Told

TWO DAYS from now will mark the celebration of Father's Day in this country.  Take dad out for dinner. Play a round of golf with him, or buy him a necktie. It's tradition. But on some other day don't let dad and mom off the hook for the lie that they repeatedly told you as a kid. 

Remember when they counseled you not to run in the house or have friends over when they weren't home?  It usually came with a disclaimer: "When you grow up and have your own house, you can run around in it, have any friends over, and do what you want in YOUR house.  This is our house... yada, yada,yada..."

Trouble is, now that we HAVE grown up and are paying for places of our own, mom and dad are usually NOT ready to make good on their promise that "you can do what you want in YOUR house."  Specifically, do you think they're okay with you living in your own house naked?

Neither do we.

They may begin talking to you with the line "I realize it's your house..." But don't think for a second that parents won't lecture you that it's indecent, unsanitary, unsafe, and unhealthy for your kids if your family lives bare naked.  Many people tell the Bare Platypus that they hate having to "cover up" for that week that relatives are in town.  We say, why do that?  Don't let anyone---including your dad---guilt you or embarass you out of living naked in your own home.  If they choose not to visit and spring the money for a nearby hotel, so be it.

What's the best response to the question "Are you really going to go around naked like that while I'm here?" 

It's to say, "Yes. Because I don't want to make you a liar after telling me for years as a kid that paying for my home would mean I can do within it as I choose." (This strategy doesn't work if you still live with your parents in their house, of course.)

If dad merely shrugs his shoulder and says "your house, your rules" then thank him by buying him two neckties.  Or with two rounds of golf.

Is it Really a Privacy Fence?

SOME YEARS ago, a member of our Bare Platypus team and his wife had an “animated” discussion about plans for a home improvement project.  Specifically, they were researching the expense, permitting process, and possible vendors to install a six foot opaque fence in the back yard.

“You want to spend your entire annual bonus on a privacy fence?” she asked.

“No.  I want to spend the money on a non-offense fence,” he replied.

“You want the fence so you can sunbathe and walk around naked…  You want a privacy fence,” she shot back.

He corrected her: “I DO want to walk around and sunbathe naked… A LOT, but that’s why I have to build a non-offense fence, not a privacy fence. There's a difference!”

You see, from the perspective of our Platypus, he felt forced to build the fence to avoid offending the neighbors---who would no doubt call the cops on him for nakedness.  But it was NOT out of any search for "privacy" and the distinction was important to him.

As he recounted to us, PRIVACY implies that you want to be concealed or protected from others knowing what you are doing. PRIVACY connotes that you are the person seeking out something.  As a legitimate nudist, our Platypus merely wants to avoid offending someone else. He’s not an exhibitionist, but he couldn’t care less whether someone else saw him in his birthday suit.  The fence is a courtesy to those who do not wish to see his nudity.

The fur on our Platypus bristles at any implication that he would spend money on a fence if others didn’t have hang ups about nudity. He wouldn’t. 

How about it readers? Is he being hyper-technical or is the distinction important? Is it important we make clear that our fences are NOT to protect those within them so much as a concession to those on the outside?

Naked History: The Basics of Nudity on Cape Cod

THE OTHER day the members of our Bare Platypus team were talking about the battles that have been fought with various government agencies over nudism in North America.  We turned to the critical need to preserve lessons and strategies learned because the membership and volunteers among nudist organizations experience regular turnover.  We must transfer “institutional knowledge” or risk losing whatever experience nudists have acquired in waging our battles.

Location.  With that in mind, let’s turn to a discussion of the Cape Cod National Seashore in Massachusetts.  The Cape Cod National Seashore spans a number of towns along the Cape.  If you haven’t spent much time in Massachusetts, we’re talking about that arm that hooks out into the ocean, almost as if the state were flexing a muscle.  Follow the “arm” to the very end and you’re in the Provincetown – Truro area, home to much of CCNS. 

Legal Changes.  Skinny dipping and nude sunbathing enjoyed a long tradition on many of the beaches now managed as the CCNS. Problem was, in the early 1970’s the fame of the nude beaches spread and it was not all a good thing.  Many visitors sojourned down to the CCNS in hopes of gawking at nudists much the way you’d view animals at the zoo.  There were even tour bus companies operating from as far away as Boston who organized “see the nudists” tours.  These gawkers brought their own set of problems with the law, as well as trampling through environmentally sensitive dunes.  By the mid 1970’s, seashore officials had had enough.

They secured passage of a federal regulation prohibiting nudity on the CCNS.  The regulatory process included notices in the Federal Register, an official comment period, etc.  Once completed that regulation---targeted only at CCNS---went into effect and remains in place to this day.  The regulation is one of only a handful of such federal nudity bans specifically targeted to parts of the National Park System. (There is one prohibition at Honokohau park in HI).

Volunteer Spirit.  For decades, local nudists, including Bill Falconer’s Sunchasers Travel Club  and the Pilgrim Naturists of New England, have been working to have the regulation rescinded.  They organize an annual CCNS Cleanup, which cleans miles of the beach every year and holds an impressive 15+ year track record. Such service projects have helped cultivate a positive working relationship between nudists and seashore staff to the point that some staffers would rather find other things to do than cite nudists if they don’t receive any complaints.  Yet the law remains.

Every seven years or so, National Parks on federal seashores take a status check and revise their Seashore Management Plans.  On these occasions, nudists have followed the process and put formal requests into the record (usually accompanied by hundreds of petitions in support).  Nudists have also traveled to congressional offices in Washington DC with a Massachusetts constituency to present officials with pictures of each year’s CCNS Cleanup volunteers and reports of the actual mileage cleaned and pounds of trash collected.   With each year more friends get made and more people educated.  Yet the regulation persists.

Lessons.  Many reading the Bare Platypus were not even born when the federal government banned nudity on the Cape and there are few left championing FOR the ban, but it remains.  Today’s lessons: (1) Thank those who are trying to change things; and (2) REMEMBER that it takes only a short time to lose a nude beach venue, but decades to get it back.

6/10/12 Week’s Walter Award Goes to…

SOME WEEKS the choice for our Walter Award---which is named for Dr. Walter Bishop of the hit television series Fringe and announced each Tuesday in homage to his “cook naked on Tuesday” philosophy---comes so naturally.  This was one of those weeks!

We simply must recognize Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda of The Today Show for answering the questions, “Is sleeping naked normal?” and “Is skinny-dipping normal?” with an emphatic 'Yes!"  The women provided those answers while playing a few rounds from a new game show that polls the general public on what’s normal, and then challenges contestants to match the results, like the Family Feud game show of old. (The poll found a majority of those surveyed didn’t think sleeping starkers is normal, but what are you gonna do?)

The Walter Award also recognizes Kathy Lee and Hoda for saying some very positive things about nudity when they opened a Nakation-in-a-Box live on the air some years ago.  They actually held up copies of nudist park guides, Nakation towels, temp tattoos and sunblock while conceding that the whole idea sounded fun.  Hoda also relayed her experiences on a nude beach while visiting Europe as a college student.

For answers that embody the true spirit of Dr. Bishop, we wish you this Walter ladies!

The Perils of Breastfeeding

THIS WEEK news media carried yet another story of a woman asked to leave premises after breastfeeding her baby.  This time the venue was a public library in Minnesota .

The story disappoints the Platypus staff for a couple of reasons.  First, we’d like to think of libraries---those bastions of study and shelves stocked with books on all manner of uncensored subjects---showing an open mind about such things.  Second, we thought the considerable efforts of groups like the La Leche League had helped educate the public by now about the superior benefits in infant health that breastfeeding provides to infants: Tops for nutrition and increasing immunity by passing on valuable antibodies from mom to tot.

But what does that matter when someone witnesses a bit of naked mammary?   Won’t someone think of the children??? (Actually we thought we were thinking of the children… but, oh well.) 

As long as breastfeeding gets a mom kicked out of the library, or a picture of this bonding experience gets a mom kicked off Facebook, the age of nude beaches probably remains light years away.  There are, however, rays of hope.  

In Florida, for example, a security guard once told a young mother she couldn’t breastfeed in public. She happened to be then-governor Lawton Chiles’ daughter and the infant, naturally, his grandchild.  Very soon Governor Chiles helped usher in a law making breastfeeding permissible in any location where a mother is otherwise lawfully allowed to be.  (Actually this may not fix the problem. Re-reading the news accounts of “library mom,” it appears Minnesota also has such a law on the books.  Not much help when the uniformed but un-informed guys with the billy clubs show up.)

Here’s hoping more states follow suit and more people get a clue.  In the meantime,  follow this link to see touching photography that celebrates the innocence in these feedings.  If you’re like The Platypus, you probably never even notice the breasts in these pics. 

But those babies’ eyes?  Captivating!

                                                                        

Taking a Minute to Say, “Thanks”

IN OUR last blog post we noted the many, many voices in the choir promoting a nude way of life.  We would like to spend this post recognizing a few of these voices who have been particularly helpful to the Platypus:

 

http://allnudist.wordpress.com – Allnudist has been treating visitors to their site and Facebook pages for years, as well as regularly publishing an E-newspaper cataloging nudist articles culled from many sources…including the Platypus at times.  The Platypus has served the nude travel industry for nearly 15 years and, in our opinion, AllNudist commands a very accurate understanding about the way things in the nudist community actually are (even if we wished some of it wasn’t true). There’s a good chance you came to us from one of AllNude’s links, but if you haven’t visited yet you should.

http://nudiarist.tumblr.com/ – We were reading nudiarist often… long before starting the Platypus.  Chet, author of this site, also serves as a member of the public relations committee of  a national nudist organization.

Will Forest - Author, blogger, nudist.

http://nuderenewed.com/2012/04/26/taking-it-back-in-house/  This site is taking innovation to the next level.  Currently they’re working on a project to  host fellow nudist sites and blogs… a “home” where such sites will not have to fear censorship or sudden termination of service.  They have been most kind to the Platypus.

http://nudestate.tumblr.com/ -  This is a “Tumblr” site whose mainstay is nude / naturist photographs.  We appreciate their assistance in re-tweeting and linking to our Platypus posts.

www.nurba.org – NURBA’s mission is to get people to think outside the box about nudity.  As their name suggests, NURBA encourages nudity within urban settings and while doing everyday tasks, going beyond the cliché nakedness on the beach or in pools.

As weeks go by, we plan to regularly thank others in the naked blogging community.  We deeply appreciate all who help get the message out!

10,000 Voices in the Choir – Who’s in the Audience?

THE BARE Platypus is delighted to be reading posts, tweets, and websites from so many who tell the world they’re nudists and naturists.

We titled this post “10,000 voices” but, in reality, have no way of knowing how many people regularly share what nudism is to them.  We know the membership numbers of leading nudist organizations and have International Naturist Federation numbers also.  But this is different.  We’re talking about the people who regularly share their personal experiences online. 

These fellow bloggers and posters are amazing in the reliability with which they uncover and relay news of all that is happening within nudist circles and at various clubs.  If they were paid journalists writing daily columns it would amount to the equivalent of millions of dollars in payroll.

Our question: Do you think that the non-nudist community is listening?

Do non nudists stumble into our websites, forums, Twitter pages, and Facebook walls?  Do they become “converted” this way?  Or do fellow nudists who already identify with what we do simply go looking for others of like mind?  No doubt it is some percentage of both, but the question then becomes, “what percentage”? 

Put another way, do you think nudists are “born” or “made”?  Are we helping people who are already predisposed to trying nudism when they find us?  Or are we bringing a message that changes mindsets?

With so many people willing to share their stories why hasn’t more of the world become one big nude beach?

They say that a typical person receives thousands of messages within a single day from advertisers, news, music, etc.   Maybe 10,000 voices aren’t loud enough to overcome all those other messages.  Or maybe the world is changing and a viable nudist candidate running for US President is just around the corner.

Real philosophical stuff for a Friday Evening.

Why did the Platypus Cross the Road?...

...  IN SOLIDARITY with our web-footed sisters and brothers, who crossed in solidarity with their chicken sisters and brothers.


...  Nudist resort on the other side.


...  Platypuses seek out cars to run over their tails.  How else do you think they get them so flat?

...  Duck bill platypus?  We thought you said "truck grill platypus!" 




... Out driving naked when the car broke down.


...  To avoid the Giant Mastadon at the Bare (Bay) to Breakers run last week in 'Frisco.


...  There was a lawyer on this side of the road and a pit filled with hazardous waste on the other side.


...  There was a lawyer and a pit filled with hazardous waste on the other side but a student loan officer on this side.


...  Why else? To get a better pic of the naked woman covered in blue food coloring at last year's World Naked Bike Ride.


...  To change a light bulb in the bar. (His life is a joke.)




...  To join the "Occupy Platypus Street" demonstration.




...  Well, he had just left the pharmacy after picking up a prescription for that new drug that causes your "anatomy" to triple in size after just a few weeks and... Say, you're probably not interested in knowing about why he crossed a road at this point are you?

Sleeping Naked Is… Normal!

BARE PLATYPUS is not too proud to shamelessly jump on a trendy story about nudity and ham it up for all it’s worth in search engine traffic.  Alas, this week’s story about Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda of Today Show fame is too good to pass up.

If you hadn’t heard, Kathy Lee and Hoda were playing a bit of an on-air game based upon answering questions from a new game show.  The show polls an audience about what’s considered “normal” and contestants have to guess what is and isn’t a la’ the Family Feud show from days gone by.  The women were asked, “Is skinny dipping normal?” “Is sleeping naked normal?”  To their credit, they answered “YES” to both questions (and we whole-heartily agree with Kathy Lee and Hoda about that).

For some reason, however, the survey of attitudes had a majority of those polled saying “not normal” to nude sleeping. (Swimming in the buff got the okay.  You can  read more by clicking a link to  Sleeping Naked is Normal on The Today Show .)

We don’t know where they surveyed the poor folks who said sleeping starkers is strange, but we feel bad for them.  They’re really missing out on a special way to spend a third of your life in more comfort. AND save money on laundering and purchasing pajamas for the family!  The Bare Platypus provides some GREAT tips for sleeping naked in a previous blog post .

Well, the good news is that Mrs. Gifford and Hoda have the RIGHT idea.  In fact, the pair once opened a complete nakation-in-a-box on the air and gave it a good reception.  So they score a wag of the flat Platypus tail from us.  Good going!

9/8/13 Update:  1 in 3 Brits Sleep Bare

9/27/13 Update: Dakota U "beditorial" suggestsSleeping Naked

Bare Platypus now offers products with Platypus artwork at the Bare Platypus Souvenir Shop .  You can get a tote bag or a coffee mug, a t-shirt, or all three!  Plus there's more to come.

These designs are one-of-a-kinds that you won't find elsewhere.  Tasteful enough that you can show or serve them to all guests, but unusual enough (and always bare) that they can help you get a conversation going.

You're invited to visit!

06/03/12 Week's Walter Award Goes to...

BEFORE ANNOUNCING this week's Walter Award we should note that one of the roles we see for the Bare Platypus is preserving an element of nudist history.  The movement for black equality remembers Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall.  The womens' movement remembers Susan B. Anthony.  We think nudists should do the same.

In that spirit, our Walter of the week goes to Robert Page---not for anything especially noteworthy occuring over the past seven days so much as a lifetime of service.

Bob was already an up-and-coming lawyer when Saul Stern, one of the first attorneys to represent organized nudism in North America, recruited him to be Stern's successor.  For many, many years thereafter, Page represented the American Sunbathing Association and its related organizations. 

While there, Page authored two amicus curaie (Friend of the Court) briefs submitted to the United States Supreme Court.  None other than Justice William Brennan quoted from the brief in Massachusetts v. Oakes.  (The other brief was part of City of Erie v. Pap's A.M., which considered the constitutionality of bans on nude dancing.)

As such, Robert Page distinguished himself among First Amendment advocates and scholars... and his work didn't stop there.  Page also petitioned the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to strike down an Iowa state law prohibiting nudity wherever a sales tax was collected.  While unsuccessful, the case (US v. Farkas) may nevertheless have helped provide a "thumb in the dike" to stem an ever-growing onslaught of anti-nudity legislation by giving folks reason to pause about the implications of such laws.

Bob's spouse of many years was a distinguished figure in the legal community and leant her talents to the nudist cause as well.  Though the couple later divorced, they remained friends.

About ten years ago Robert Page passed away.  But he left a legacy of championing nudist rights that has inpired others to follow.  For this we are most privileged to submit his name to you, our readers, as this week's WALTER recipient.

The Walter is named in honor of Dr. Walter Bishop from the hit TV series, Fringe. Dr. Bishop has a matter-of-fact attitude towards nudity. In his name the Bare Platypus presents a "Walter" award each week to the person, group, or event that best depicts nudity naturally.
Read more at www.bareplatypus.blogspot.com

Ever Notice....

… THAT WHEN the news reports the story it’s, “Police responded to urgent calls about a naked man who was running around downtown and also waving a gun!”  Shouldn’t that be the other way around?

… That when a woman goes for a skinny dip the officers are likely to gather their friends to watch, but pull out their citation books if it's a guy?

… That Superman ducks into a phone booth to change, but the phone booth has glass walls?

… That they STILL call the places we visit nudist colonies?

… That they send you a twenty-minute-wasting slideshow that features puppy dogs and annoying music with the message to “forward to at least 10 friends.” But label a single picture of breasts, “Not SAFE for work?”

… The federal agency that usually tries to prevent us from taking off our clothes OUTSIDE is the US Department of the Interior?

… The places where you apply the most sunblock will still burn the fastest?

… You never remember something you need from out in the car until you’ve stripped naked?

... That the pen is mightier than the sword but "penis" gets you booted off Facebook? 

Naked and on a First Name Basis

IF YOU ever take a trip down to Cypress Cove Nudist Resort and Spa of Florida you should stop in to the American Nudist Research Library located on grounds.

Peruse the bound volumes containing nudist club newsletters from the 1950’s and you’ll see an interesting way that the nudists of old referred to each other in print.  Most of the time, they would write things like, “Our July 4^th barbeque is being organized by Sally M.” or “Congratulations to Sam J. and his team on winning the annual volleyball tournament.”

Given societal attitudes to nudism when Eisenhower was in the White House, it’s understandable why folks felt they had to talk in codes and abbreviations.  Things lightened up, eventually, so that by the 1980’s full names were much more common.  National nudist organizations even adopted editorial policies requiring them in newspapers like The Bulletin and Clothed with the Sun (later N) magazine.

As we’ve been quoting of Yogi Berra a lot lately, things are “Deja’ Vu all over again.”  Putting one’s name out there publicly as a nudist may be just ominous as it once was.  The reason?  The internet and the sophistication of search engines like Google.

Folks may not be completely paranoid that someone could find out they’re a nudist, but that doesn’t mean that they want “Nudist Volleyball Champion!” to be the first thing that pops up when someone Googles their name.  For a person with a common name like Greg Smith (the actual name of a past nudist association president) this may not be much of an issue.  There are hundreds, neigh thousands, of Smiths. 

But what if your first and last name are much more unique?  Or what if your picture appears next to that name?  It can cause problems if pages and pages of your nudist exploits trump the Nobel Prize you earned in physics.  What’s more, getting information deleted from the internet can be near to impossible… even when you had no role in putting it there. (Google “Santorum” some time and you may be surprised that the results don’t always discuss the former Senator’s run for President so much as a sexual slang term named for him by gay activists who didn’t like his policies.)

For those who are secure in their own jobs or retired, and equally strong in all matters of social relationships, please join the ranks of those who make a public stand in support of nudism.  For those who cannot make such a commitment, The Platypus understands. Even if we must grit our duck bills about the very real prejudices that nudists still face.