I hadn't let drop any nudist tendencies. So

none of them knew to expect me in the

nude contingent.

I was apprehensive because -- let's

face it -- not everyone gay would agree

with my actions that day. Not everyone is

happy to see a heavyset guy with a hairy
back strutting naked back and forth carry-

ing a sign advocating the right to go

naked. None of the other clients at the B &

B had seemed erotically interested in
"bears" in general, or in me in particular,

so I certainly wasn't expecting anyone to

tell me how sexy I looked, nor did I expect

sex partners to be lining up at my door

that night. Moreover, no one at the B & B

had attended any of the naked events I'd

attended in the previous few days, and

none had given any signs that they might

be naturists themselves.

I expected that some people might
secretly approve, and that most would dis-

approve to one degree or another. The
actual response I got was so overwhelm-

ing, it nearly blew me away:

They were in awe.

In awe!! As soon as I walked into the patio

area, where they were having coffee,

everyone turned around and locked their

eyes onto mine. Then they couldn't stop

paying me compliments. I was astonished!

One fellow said: "My friend nudged me

and said, 'Hey look this next group's a

bunch of nudists.' And I turned and

looked and there you were! I said, 'I know
him! That guy's from my hotel!!' We were

just sooooo impressed that you had the

nerve to do that in front of everybody."

Another fellow said: "That was cool,

man!" Moreover, this was not just a kind

of now-I-know-someone-famous thing.

They were really, really complimenting me

for my courage. I aw-shucksed them a bit,

saying that it was a lot less of a risk for me

than for the Toronto fellows who have to

live in the same city they marched in. But

they wouldn't let me get away with that.
He wanted to have the ner v e

One fellow, the cutest and most party-

oriented of the group, got everyone's
attention and then told me --firmly, force-

fully, and in all seriousness -- "Look, I

don't care if I was a million miles away

from where I lived. I would never have

had the nerve to do what you did! I just

couldn't." And it was clear from the tone

of his voice that he wanted to have the

nerve that I showed that afternoon.

I wasn't expecting praise this high, so

it took awhile for it to sink in, for me to be

sure that they really meant what they said.

They liked me. They respected me!

I had marched for respect for my

ideas. Their comments indicated that I had

succeeded in getting my intellectual points

In a sense, they had gotten the mes

-

sage behind why I marched naked--better
than I had. Before the march, "body accep-
tance" to me was a bunch of words. You

hear this phrase all over the nudist world.

I agreed with it in a kind of ritualistic,

intellectual way: it's not good to hate your

body, you get naked because it feels good

to yourself, not because it impresses other

people, etc. But the thin acceptance of the

concept I had before the march suddenly

thickened. They thought I was courageous.

They thought I accepted my body as it is.

They were impressed.

And I thought, maybe I should be, too.

across. I had marched nude to demon

-

strate, in my emotions and actions, that I

had body acceptance. When one of them

spontaneously suggested that I take my

clothes off right there on the patio if I felt

like it, I realized that I had enlightened,

too. The combination was intoxicating.