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Clothing Optional Beaches and Homosexuality

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Mandy, Mar 4, 2013.

  1. Mandy

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    I was wondering why clothing optional beaches such as Gunnison Beach in New Jersey, Haulover Beach in Miami, and Playalinda Beach in Cape Canaveral, Florida have sections that have a large number of gays. In all three beaches you will find the beach split in half with one part gay and the other mainstream. Although, in New Jersey at Sandy Hook the alternative lifestyle section seemed to be bigger since the Lower Manhattan Ferry was installed that goes from NYC to Sandy Hook during the Summer taking much of those who used to drive the LIE and NY Parkways to Kismet Beach in Long Island to here.

    I was wondering why nudism is very popular among gay men particularly especially in Miami, where you have South Beach being home to many gays and transgendered folks which has a beach of its own. Yet people would rather use the other beach miles away to patronize over a beach that is within spitting distance of their homes.

    It is very interesting about why so many gay men like the lifestyle so much and I was wondering what it is that the reason is for this?
     
  2. greatwhale

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    Well...if anything it's efficient! :slight_smile:

    Given the low likelihood of meeting many gay people over the course of a normal year, and the brief time available during Spring break, people will hence de-brief, as it were, in order to size each other up, so to speak...:rolle: in as little time as possible.

    Just a theory, mind you...:dry:
     
  3. BMC77

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    I have no idea, but I'll be interested to see what responses come up...

    One advantage to a nude beach: your whole body can be evenly tanned!
     
  4. Mandy

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    Apparently you have those 50 year old asexual male's who frequent the beaches religiously who give some bad vibes at the beach, and the ignorant think automatically that they are a true representative of the gay community.

    Many older men who live like hermits in their personal lives, if not emotionally disturbed, are very political in their personal views and invite themselves to your comfort zone while on the beach and start talking. Usually you either hear them talk about something you do not care about and even when you give a hint that you want to relax and just come to sunbathe or want you to agree with their off the wall complaints about life and people. Some are even ignorant and think that all single men on the beach are asexual like themselves and very liberal in politics and anti-catholic cause of stereotypes that being the Church itself is against the clothing optional lifestyle, that we all are either agnostic or atheist and start bashing.

    I actually do not mind the gays at all, but those ignorant political people (even over conservative people in my church and workplace etc. outside the beach forum) who do not respect others right to privacy annoys me and makes me weary if I should go to such a place. Of course, that is obvious why they are there and another story, but many people who want to give the clothing optional freedom a try category these ignorant people as gay when they are not.

    Anyway, to get back on point, I was just curious to know why so many people are attracted in groves to nude beach lifestyle. Your point does make sense and it makes those over political people also want to "size out" as well that is why I brought up the ignorant 50 year old men obsessed with the beach.
     
  5. Chip

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    If you think about it, people's discomfort with nudity is rooted in shame. We are taught in many ways by society to be ashamed of our bodies, particularly our genitals. Religious teachings imply that we should always be covered up as well.

    Gay men in particular have the shame message wrapped up in their sexuality, since most people associate nudity with sex, even though that's a spurious correlation (we're nude at the doctor's office, in gang showers at gyms and schools, and in various other non-sexual situations.)

    So I think part of the reason that gay men (and, to a lesser extent, lesbians and transfolks) have more comfort with their bodies is they've had to work through the shame of being gay and, with it, the shame associated with sex, so being comfortable being nude is less of a big deal for them.

    There are plenty of nude resorts / beaches / properties where no sexual activity occurs at all, and quite a few family nudist resorts where people from infancy up to their 90s and beyond are happily nude together in a nonsexual way. In fact, there's a great (out of print) book written that looked, from a psychological and sociological perspective, at nudity among children, called "Growing Up Without Shame" that had some really interesting insights on nudism and its (positive) effects on adolescence and child rearing.
     
  6. Ianthe

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    Another aspect might be that bathing suits are extremely gender differentiated, and some people prefer nudity to wearing something that feels wrong to them in terms of gender expression.

    I know there are some butches that prefer swimming nude to wearing women's swimwear. (That's not universal for them, to be clear.)

    And of course, if anyone in the group feels that way, then the whole group is going to choose the nude beach.

    Nudity isn't compulsory at nude beaches--so, nude beaches are essentially just dress-code free, meaning that people can wear or not wear whatever they choose. That is a big relief for some people.
     
  7. Mandy

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    True nudity and sex are totally different. There are plenty of places around that all ages participate. Sandy Hook, NJ used to be that way, but something happened to scare the college coeds off and some of the other people in the 90's. I heard rumors, about the reason being the "Ferry" from NYC added more people who were doing stuff that were offending homophobic people. I do not know if it is true, but some young teens and older adolescences were probably going there without their families knowing that they participate in the lifestyle cause they feel shamed at what they are doing. With the new beach patrons coming in, many feel that if their parents saw them, they would have the "see I told you so" attitude.

    The same why young girls do not participate alone. They get scared when they see all these single gentlemen hanging out. When I mean single, I mean they come alone in their cars, and many do not bathe nor layout which is the main reason why people go to the beach. Many, guys, I observed, just sit upright in a chair either under and umbrella or out in the open. They're bored as they are just sitting around. Many without reading materials or something to occupy themselves. Some, I think, actually believe that their Mr. or Miss Right becomes instantly attracted to them seeing their nude bodies, when actually it does not work that way. You have a much better chance of winning the lottery than someone falling in love with you because you are naked. Yet, you have many guys who are loners who patronize the beach, and some others do not understand and make all single guys out to be public enemy number one. I have heard so many people complain about that in my visits and being you do not see single guys on clothed beaches just sitting around by themselves doing nothing except for the occasional businessman who is traveling alone or maybe a man who could not come up with a companion on short notice, but they are few and in most cases either bathe or lay out.