Nudist beaches not smart idea for the Smart State

By Spencer Gear [1]

Welcome to Queensland the Smart State!

Surely there are beaches beyond measure in Australia for nudists!  We should be able to find hundreds of secluded beaches around the country that would be ideal for nudists to use.  We have thousands of kilometres of glorious coastline — 25,760  km to be exact. [2] 
    Why would anybody object to giving people the freedom they seek in beach nudity?  One nudist told ABC radio,  "The 'facts' as put by the opponents of nude beaches are nearly always erroneous or based on religious teachings and leanings." [3] 
    Let's check the facts to find if there are good reasons why nudist beaches do not serve the best interests of most Australians and why they are not a smart idea for the Smart State.

On 15th February 1975, Maslin Beach, 40km from Adelaide's CBD, became Australia's first legal nudist beach. [4]  In 2004, a 36-year-old male paedophile abducted three boys, aged 8, 9 and 10 at an Adelaide park, and took them for a naked swim at Maslin Beach.  The boys were not found until the next day.  The paedophile "pleaded guilty to abducting the boys and was found guilty of causing them to expose their bodies for his prurient interest" and was jailed for three years. [5] 
    One nudist went public in Qld., stating that "legal nude beaches have been a part of life in several Australian states and territories for many years without any problems." [6]  The Maslin Beach conviction refutes that stance.  We will discover many other problems worldwide associated with nudist beaches.

A friend who lives at Coonarr Beach near Bundaberg (Qld., Australia) told me that she was walking alone on the beach in December 2005.  Apparently a nude man had been sitting among the fallen trees near the beach and she hadn't seen him when she walked one way along the beach.  After she had walked past him, he apparently entered the ocean.  On her return, he waited until she was almost to where he was, walked out of the water towards her, and was so close he could have touched her.  
    She was so frightened by this encounter as she couldn't see another person anywhere on the beach.  She has now discovered that he visits there frequently. 
    On another day, while walking with her husband on the beach, a nudist walked within 10 metres of them.  She said that the man regularly walks nude on the beach, has shorts in hand and puts them on just to walk past the residences.  
    Recently a nudist couple was on the beach, only metres away from other beachgoers who were clad in swimwear. She said that the police were called but did not arrive for 1.5 hours. 
    A few weeks earlier another resident observed a nude man walking through the car park to the toilets. When confronted he replied, "But this is a nudist beach."  Nudist beaches are illegal in Qld.   
    Almost every day, this woman reports that there is a nudist visiting the beach.  Most of them are men and she does not feel safe walking the beach near her house.

• Dogging takes place on our nudist beach;

• Indecent sexual behaviour on sand dunes at our nudist beach;

• Cruising for sex with nudists;

• Nudists want more – a beach for open-air sex!
  

Six nudists in the summer of 2005 were "fined in a crackdown on illegal naturism at a Merseyside [UK] beauty spot visited by families."  Nudists were arrested in sand dunes at Ainsdale, Mersyside and were fined £80 each "for public order offences."
    A spokesman for Mersyside police said that "after we received a number of complaints from both visitors and residents in the area, we decided to launch an operation to stop this type of behaviour.  This type of activity is not acceptable to the many families with young children who like to go out and enjoy the sand dunes on a sunny afternoon."  A local councillor said that "naked sunbathers had been a problem in the past, but recently the dunes have been a haunt for 'couples behaving inappropriately.'  This time it became even worse." [7]

There are reports around the world of the deleterious consequences associated with nudist beaches.

a.    In Oslo, Norway,  nudists at an "open beach" at Huk "are being increasingly harassed by photographers, flashers and vulgar requests and police have had to respond several times" in the summer of 2005.  "I don't go to Huk any more," said a  52-year-old woman who wanted to remain anonymous. She called the police "after feeling threatened by a man on the beach." [13]

        b.   Nudists want more than just beaches for swimming and sun baking. A beach for public sex is now wanted: "The Dutch Naturists Federation (NFN) has called on the government to set aside certain beaches for people who like to have sex in public.  Naturists feel that displays of public sex do not belong on regular nudist beaches, a spokesperson for the NFN said in a radio interview.  Public sex involving couples and orgies in the open air are also said to [be] a growing phenomenon." [14]
 

7.  Police don't need the extra work.

 
I commend the superb work of the police force in Qld.  Police have their hands full in dealing with illegal activities.  They don't need the additional pressure of pursuing nudist crimes. 
    BBC News reported: "Police strip to halt nudist crime" Why? "To try to help catch prowlers who are demanding sex from bathers on a nudist beach" at Studland Beach, Dorset. However, police chiefs said that the "undercover constables may wear swimming costumes or trunks and will not be naked" to try to deal with "the activities of several predatory males and concern from nudists that they were being approached." [15]
    A New Zealand nudist beach has caused extra work for police who "will begin patrolling a popular Bay of Plenty nudist beach after complaints about the behaviour of . . . men in the sand dunes" where a man has been charged "with committing an indecent act in a public place after police visited Papamoa Beach." [16]

8.  Nudity is for private, not public, expression.

It is common to hear nudists blast religious people for opposing public nudity, as one nudist did on ABC radio, "The 'facts' as put by the opponents of nude beaches are nearly always erroneous or based on religious teachings and leanings." [17]  As this document shows, reasoned arguments against nudism can be made without any reference to religious literature. 
    However, it's important to note that the human body is not condemned or  ignored in the Bible.  The body has dignity as it is called "God's temple" [18] for the Christian.  This implies something special about the view of sex and the human form.  The Bible is not prudish (read Song of Solomon), but the biblical emphasis is on modesty and decency, thus eliminating any indiscriminate display of public nudity.
    Public nakedness should be a source of shame and embarrassment.  Perhaps the resurgence and promotion of public nudity says more about our degenerate morality than its attempt to promote freedom.
    Nudity is meant for private and not public display.

9.  The Qld. Premier says that nude beaches are not wanted by the public.

In a letter to a Coonarr Beach resident, dated 11th November 2005, the Chief of Staff of the Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, wrote: 

"The Premier does not support nude bathing.  While the Premier is aware that there are some members of the community who would like to see the Government legalise the practice of nude bathing, he does not believe that the majority of Queenslanders support the introduction of clothing optional beaches.
    "The Premier is not satisfied that the benefits for those Queenslanders who want clothing optional beaches are sufficient to justify the potential negatives of such a proposal.  The Premier is also concerned that the introduction of clothing optional beaches could create safety issues for people legally using the beaches, as well as others who live nearby.   
    "Queensland beaches should be available to be enjoyed by all Queenslanders and visitors to our State." [19]

10.  Governments are trying to reduce health hazards, not sponsor them.

"Queensland has the highest incidence of skin cancer in the world." [22]  This means that "every seven minutes a Queenslander is diagnosed with skin cancer" according to a TV advertising campaign" [23]  
    Having a deep summer tan on much of the body was considered a healthy Aussie summer look.  Not any more!  Governments have promoted the "slip, slop, slap" message and the wearing of sun-smart clothing to reduce the risk of sun cancer.  
    At such a time when the dangers of skin cancer [24] are well known in Australia, I believe it is irresponsible for governments to legalise nudist beaches that encourage greater exposure to the sun and elimination of protective clothing.
    Nudism is a public health hazard. 

11.  Nudist beaches are world-wide, but that doesn't make them right or good.

Because nudist beaches may be happening on a worldwide basis, this is not a good reason for legalising them.  This research has shown the problems associated with some nudist beaches.  Because many are doing it does not make it correct.  Our governments, having a duty of care for all their people, should take the responsible role and not legislate anything that allows or promotes activities that are a threat to people and involve more responsibilities for an over-worked police force.

12.    Discrimination redefined.

A nudist told ABC radio that local and state governments that reject nudism are law breakers.  His reasoning was: "We are part of the fabric of society but as a group we have been discriminated against in this state for too long and it must stop.  Discrimination is illegal in Australia, and the failure of local and state governments to provide legal nude beaches for us and many tourists to enjoy is quite frankly against the law." [25] 
    The public relations officer of the Free Beach Association of Queensland, Anita Grigg, promotes the same view, calling on a Qld. MP "to take a stand against discriminatory laws on nudism." [24] 
    This is an interesting twist to the meaning of discrimination.  Can't the nudists see that it is they who are discriminating against those who want to wear clothing on beaches?  If we accept the nudists' line of reasoning, it means that many laws discriminate against several kinds of people.  Couldn't the paedophile, thief and murderer accuse the government of discrimination against them also?  This is an extreme attempt by nudists to draw attention to their cause.
    The nudists are breaking the law in Qld.  As this article indicates, there are reasonable arguments for governments to reject public nudism.

We have traversed the landscape of some nudist beaches and discovered that all is not well for the promoters of naturist freedom.  Children and adults are at risk and illegal activities are promoted. As a duty of care to all people, the smart idea in the Smart State is never to legalise nudist beaches.
    Here we have presented reasonable reasons to support the view of Qld. Premier, Peter Beattie, that he "is not satisfied that the benefits for those Queenslanders who want clothing optional beaches are sufficient to justify the potential negatives of such a proposal." [27]

References

[1]  I am an Australian family relationships' counselling manager, doctoral student in biblical studies, an active Christian apologist, and may be contacted at: PO Box 3107, Hervey Bay 4655, Australia.

[2]  Wikipedia, available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia [cited 25 January 2006].

[3]  Paul McCarragher, "Clothing-optional beaches: a nudist's perspective," 21 December  2005, ABC (radio) 
Wide Bay, available from: http://www.abc.net.au/widebay/stories/s1535831.htm   [cited 26 January 2006].

[4]  Free Beaches of Australia Inc., available from: http://www.freebeach.com.au/index.htm  
[cited 25 January 2006].

[5]  See the stories in the Adelaide Advertiser, 24 March 2004, 30 March 2004, 6 July 2004, 13 July 2004, 
2 July 2005, Available from M.A.K.O.: Australian News, at: http://www.mako.org.au/newsart15.html 
[cited 24 January 2006].  For a report of the verdict and sentencing, see ABC South Australia (Online), 
"Man jailed for three years for triple abduction," Available from: 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200507/1410262.htm?sa [cited 24 January 2006]. 

[6]  Paul McCarragher (as above).

[7]  Jessica Shaugnessy, "Six fined for sunbathing in the nude" (Online) Jul 21 2005, 
Daily Post Staff, Liverpool.co.uk [cited 3rd February 2007].

[8]  "'Sex in open air' scandal," Devon 24 (Online), 08 September 2005 (Online), [cited 3 February 2007].

[9]  Available from:  http://www.irish-swingers.com/locations/messages/80.html [cited 25 October 2005].

[10]  Alyson Matley, "Bare truth: Naturists want beach," 19 May 2005, Available from: http://www.keynoter.com/articles/2005/05/18/news/news03.txt [cited 23 January 2006].

[11]  Available from: http://www.freebeach.com.au/ [cited 26 January 2006].

[12]  Glenis Green, "Submissions sought on legal nude beach," The Courier-Mail, 25 October 2005, p. 6.

[13]  "Flashers pester nudists," Aftenposten: News from Norway (Online), 12 August 2005
[cited 3 February 2007].

[14]  Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 10 August 2005, "Not under our boardwalk, we're naturists" 
(Dutch naturists want beach for sex in public) [cited 3 February 2007].

[15]  BBC News, 20 July 2005, available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/dorset/4700457.stm 
[cited 23 September, 2005].

[16] "Just Another Story - Police watch on popular nudist beach.
02.05.2002," IMC India (ie Independent Media Centre) [Online], 2nd May 2002 [cited 3 February 2007].

[17]  Paul McCarragher (as above).

[18] I Corinthians 3:16.

[19]  I have a copy of this letter, but for the privacy of the people concerned, I withhold their names and addresses.

[20]  "Beattie exposes nude beach fears," 1 February 2005, ABC Sunshine & Cooloola Coasts, Queensland, 
Available from: http://www.outbackhouse.com/sunshine/news/200502/s1293453.htm [cited 28 January 2006].

[21]  Patsy & Richard Brown, "Quest for Nude Beach at Bundaberg Fails," Available from: http://www.freebeach.com.au/bundaberg%20report.htm [cited 26 January 2006].

[22]  Southbank Corporation, "Protecting Queenslanders Under the Sun," Sponsor Profile – Suncorp, Available from: http://www.southbankcorporation.com.au/partners/profile-_suncorp  [cited 27 January 2006].

[23]  Heard on WIN TV, Bundaberg, Qld., Friday, 27 January 2006, at approx. 6.15pm 
during the Channel 9 National News.

[24]  "Skin Cancer Prevention", Available from: http://www.guide4living.com/skincancer/prevention.htm 
[cited 26 January 2006].

[25]  Paul McCarragher, "Clothing-optional beaches: a nudist's perspective," 21 December  2005, 
ABC (radio) Wide Bay, available from: http://www.abc.net.au/widebay/stories/s1535831.htm [cited 26 January 2006].

[26]  "Govt urged to relax nude beach laws," ABC News Online, 27 January 2005, Available from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200501/s1290297.htm [cited 28 January 2006].

[27]  Peter Beattie (reference above).

[28]  "Quotes by Solzhenitsyn," Available from: http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn 
[cited 26 January 2006].

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (Philippians 4:8).

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