A Nude Beach in Toronto?

At our inaugural general meeting on March 1st, our club's membership ratified the TNT!MEN Constitution. Section 1.4 sets out the club's objectives. Of course, our main objective is to organize nude social events for men. Recognizing that we are not naked in a vacuum (which can damage blood vessels if overdone), many of our other objectives deal with being a gay nudist in the "real world". These objectives include:

• co-operating with other nudist/naturist organizations;
• supporting initiatives for the official designation of appropriate public lands and facilities in Ontario for clothing-optional purposes; and
• supporting initiatives for amending the Criminal Code of Canada provisions relating to being "nude in a public place".

You may have read recent newspaper reports about the Federation of Canadian Naturists (FCN) lobbying for Beechgrove Beach in Scarborough to be officially designated as clothing-optional. The FCN also recently wrote to federal Justice Minister Allan Rock to counter Ontario Attorney-General Harnick's nasty suggestion that the Criminal Code be amended to make it easier to prosecute charges of "public indecency". The FCN is an umbrella organization for nudists in Canada, is over 10 years old, and has about 1100 members.

"I'll show you mine"

On April 10th, as a board-authorized representative of TNT!MEN, I met with an FCN envoy to discuss our potential affiliation with the FCN. (I'll show you my credentials if you show me yours!) The FCN, in union with the Federation of Quebec Naturists, is the officially accredited Canadian representative at the International Naturist Federation (INF). More importantly, the FCN may be the best vehicle for lobbying the federal government for changes to the nudity-related provisions of the Criminal Code, and for lobbying various governments to officially designate some Toronto-area beaches as clothing-optional.

The good news is that the FCN's membership rules recognize same-sex couples as spouses. However, the FCN is sensitive about countering public perception that social nudity entails sexual activity. Even so, the FCN's representative seemed satisfied with a candid discussion of what happens after-hours or behind-the-scenes at some TNT!MEN events. (Not that I would have personal knowledge of such things.)

A louder voice

Affiliation with the FCN would be inexpensive, and would give TNT!MEN a free ad in each issue of the quarterly magazine, Going Natural. We would be the first gay nudist group in Canada to be affiliated with the FCN, and our membership would immediately comprise almost 10% of the total FCN membership.

The FCN will lobby with or without our assistance, but we can help give it a more powerful voice. And if TNT!MEN is affiliated with the FCN, we will have a say in formulating the precise objectives of the lobbying efforts, to make sure that they are not heterosexist. A member of our board has been invited to the next FCN board meeting in May.

No decision has yet been made about joining the FCN. TNT!MEN is already affiliated with both of the U.S.-based gay nudist umbrella organizations: Gay Naturists, International (GNI), and International Men Enjoying Naturism (IMEN).