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(1/15) I think some nudists don't understand this, but I will say it again because I keep seeing this discussion pop up. No, under absolutely no circumstances or conditions is the LGBTQ+ community going to add an "N" for nudist. Please stop suggesting this. It's not a good look.
(2/15) I appreciate the desire to move nudism forward or to see an expansion of human rights that allows us to all stop being so afraid of our bodies as a society, I really do. But we do not get to ride the coattails of a community that has suffered real persecution.
(3/15) Stop right there. No, the requirement to wear clothing is not persecution against nudists. Firstly, nudism is not a protected class of citizen; it's a philosophy at best and a form of recreation at the very least. And that's perfectly OK.
(4/15) Having to wear clothes is not targeted harassment against people who enjoy not wearing clothes in the way that laws allowing employers to fire a worker for being gay or trans actually is. To compare the two is silly if not extremely offensive.
(5/15) And there is no excuse to not understand that distinction in the year 2020. The LGBTQ+ community has been openly confronting and discussing this persecution for decades. They've been fighting for their lives, for their families, for their livelihoods.
(6/15) Now that I've said that, *yes*, nudists do experience the unjustness of anti-nudity laws more profoundly than the average person. But those laws are not targeted against nudists and nudists are not the only ones affected by them. *Everyone* is affected by anti-nudity laws.
(7/15) Every single person has been socialized to accept this form of oppression, an oppression based in religious puritanism, regardless of individual beliefs or preferences. That's the injustice. It's not about nudists, it's about individual freedom.
(8/15) It's wise to look to other movements for inspiration. It's inspiring to see what they've overcome. It's good to applaud their successes and cheer on their continued efforts. It's amazing to be supportive allies for those communities experiencing targeted persecution.
(9/15) But it's disgraceful to see those movements and think, "Hmm, I want some of their success for myself." It's reductive and dismissive of all the hardships endured and lives lost fighting for those small wins. Don't be a jealous child at someone else's birthday.
(10/15) And for those who are reading this thinking, "Homosexuals are bad, and we don't want to be involved with them anyway!" Grow up or go home. There's no place for those sentiments in 2020. If you need help adjusting to this ever-adapting world, open up and reach out.
(11/15) Nudists would do well to stop viewing the inconvenience of anti-nudity laws as personal attacks. We're all affected, nudist or not, and we should approach the situation with a mindset of unity and solidarity with one another, with the best interest of everyone in mind.
(12/15) If we present our argument as though we are a persecuted class, we will spend the majority of our time trying to convince the world that we are marginalized, that our experience is unique, that our identity is innately distinct. We will always lose that argument.
(13/15) Not because our experiences are not real, but because nudists are not unique in being afflicted with human bodies. This is not an "us vs them" battle, it's an "all of us together" battle against a form of generations-old, baked-in religious oppression.
(14/15) We do not need to distinguish ourselves from society, we need to remind society that we are a colorful and contributing part of it, we need to show everyone we are all united in our diversity, that we all have bodies and that our humanness is not shameful.
(15/15) We don't *need* to ride another movement's coattails. Even if we could, we shouldn't. That's all. Let's just be good allies and lift each other up as we go along.
