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TNT!MEN Exposed February 1997 Volume 1(1)

Welcome!

Welcome to a new nudist group, with a new attitude. Welcome to a fresh outlook, a vigorous, healthy atmosphere, and a new openness. Welcome to the birth of new hope, new joy, and new ways for living and celebrating life naked!

Welcome to TNT!MEN: Totally Naked Toronto Men Enjoying Nudity. As a club, we are just getting off the ground, and we invite you to join us in creating this new adventure.

A new group?!

What's this about a new group? Why do we need one? That's a very good question. Unfortunately, the answer is long, complicated, and painful. But it all boils down to trust.

Here's a capsule summary: in the November 1996 issue of the TCAN newsletter, elections were announced, and a constitution was discussed. The election plans went forward, and eight men stood for election. The old Planning Committee of TCAN unanimously acclaimed them all on January 3rd, and transferred executive authority over to them at that time. The new Board of Directors was scheduled to meet on January 7th. So far so good.

Tables Overturned.

On January 5th, Jim Marcelle left a message on the phone line announcing that a new board was appointed, but his board only had five men on it, and two of them hadn't even been candidates for election! No word of explanation was given to the remaining fellows. On the same day, it was announced that the constitution was being "vetoed". No-one in TCAN ever had the authority to overturn an election or veto anything!

As you might imagine, many people were upset. The officially acclaimed board went ahead with their meeting on January 7th. At that meeting, they discovered that Jim Marcelle had registered TCAN as a for-profit business in September 1996, with himself listed as "sole proprietor". This action had never been discussed or approved by the old Planning Committee. Furthermore, 1997 membership fees were being solicited on the basis that TCAN was still a not-for-profit group, owned by its members, and not by any one individual. Based on this, the official board feared that they might be personally liable for obtaining memberships through fraudulent misrepresentation if they continued in office. They voted to resign immediately and transfer all executive authority to Jim.

What to do?

Some of us wanted to start our own group right then, but others wanted to wait and give Jim's appointed board a chance to clear the air and account for their behaviour. However, at their planning meeting on Jan 27th, Jim's board made it apparent that they would not discuss anything, and walked out when they were asked to explain things.

At that point, it was painfully clear that there was no hope for fair-dealing or accountability from those who controlled TCAN, and we felt that it was time to leave the politics and in-fighting behind, and start fresh.

Starting Fresh

We do it with some sadness; most of us have invested a lot of time in TCAN, and many of us have been happy to be members since it began. It is sad to see TCAN drifting so far astray from its ideals of openness, fellowship, and fairness.

But we also do it with excitement and relief: finally we can set policies we know make sense, and can elect a board of directors that we can trust. And in that safe environment, we can finally get back to the real reason we joined a nudist club in the first place: to get naked and have fun!

Great Plans!

We have great plans for the future! We have been discussing all sorts of ideas for making this a vibrant and exciting club. We've talked about Special Interest Groups dedicated to various interests and events. We've considered plans to make our group more inclusive of a diverse membership. We've wondered about having facilitated events , which could make it easier to interact with openness and intimacy.

We've also discussed game nights, discussion groups, outdoor events, nude athletics and sports, and square dancing. We've thought of coordinating an international gathering of our own. We have many hopes and dreams for what this new club can be. And we are certain that you have many more.

We Need You!

We need to creating an interim Board of Directors who will take care of things until our first elections in May. We have openings in a variety of different areas, including Communications, Events, Facilitator, Membership, Secretary, and Treasurer. We are hoping to have a board of up to eight men, four of whom will stand for one year, and four of whom will stand for two.

Launch Party

At our meeting and party on March 1st, we hope to get support, affirmation, and encouragement from as many of you as possible. We want you to approve our plans for getting this new group off the ground. We need you to volunteer to help us run things. We need you to volunteer for and express confidence in the interim Board of Directors. We would like you to accept in principle the constitution we have prepared. And we'd like to get all of this business over by 9pm so that we can get on with the party!

The door opens at 7:30 pm (please don't arrive before then), and the meeting will start promptly at 8pm. Please bring a towel to sit on, a bag to keep your clothes in, and whatever liquor you would like to drink. Smoking will be restricted.

If you can make it, please contact Peter at (416) 463-5908, or leave a message on the TNT!MEN phone line.

Constitution

In TNT!MEN, no-one can claim to be all-powerful! We use a collegial structure for our board, rather than a hierarchical one, so that we can avoid the kinds of abuse we have seen in the past. Our constitution defines responsibilities, and limits powers accordingly. It protects the rights of our members by ensuring procedural fairness. And by providing a framework for regular elections, it ensures democratic vitality and future prosperity.

While a constitution may seem like a burden, it can actually make things easier, by giving us a shared understanding of how things should work. And as we found out the hard way, not having one can lead to chaos and tyranny!

Copies of the constitution will be available at the launch party, but those who want one sooner can leave us a message on the phone line or via e-mail. Although we are asking you to accept the constitution in principle, it is open for discussion throughout the summer, and we expect to devote at least part of our upcoming General Meeting in September to voting on any amendments you may propose.

Who's this "We"?

We are men who were active and involved in the old group, and who saw a need for a change. Some of us are Andy V, Barry B, Bert B, Dave C, David D, Dwayne F, Jack N, John S, Maitland S, Peter G, Peter S, Richard D, and Rob H. Many others have supported us in person, on the phone, and via e-mail. The groundswell of support is heartening. We obviously made the right decision!

Join Now and Win!

We have three copies of Naked Places: a Guide for Gay Men to Nude Recreation and Travel to give away. This book is a terrific resource for those who travel on business or on vacation. Published in January of this year, it's quite up to date (although it doesn't include us, yet!), and its 250 pages feature beaches, accom-modations, and clubs around the world.

We'll be having the drawfor these three books at midnight at the launch party. Every person who has joined by that time will be entered into the draw for one of these great prizes! If you can't make it to the launch party, mail in your membership form and cheque, and we'll let you know if you've won.

Since our membership year starts on July 1st, so anyone who joins us now has all the benefits of membership until mid-1998! You'll receive a reduced admission to all TNT!MEN events, bimonthly calendars, our high-quality newsletter, semi-annual membership directories, and most of all, you'll be part of the excitement and exhilaration that arises from celebrating a nude lifestyle!

Bring Your Friends

One of the best ways for us to grow is for you to share the message with your friends. Is there someone you know who you think might be interested? Is there someone whom you would really like to see naked? Why not give them a copy of our pamphlet? Try to bring them along to any of our TNT!MEN events. Just be sure to let the host know first!

Join TNT!MEN and have a blast!