I am a nudist. I am not a naturist. I am not awestruck when I see a green mountain range or a waterfall or a babbling brook - whatever that is. I love to look at tall glass buildings. I like to look at magnificent bridges. I was born in Manhattan, and when I moved to Queens, which is one of the boroughs of New York City, I was amazed that it had trees! In 1999, I made my first visit to a clothing-optional beach in New Jersey. I tried to maintain my poise. My buddy said that he had never been there either, so this was a first for him too. We took off our shirts, but neither of us took off our bathing suits. I felt very uncomfortable wearing a suit while mostly everyone else was nude. The next week I returned, and got fully undressed. On subsequent visits I strolled the beach and even joined in a few games of volleyball. I later struck up conversations with some of the other beachgoers, and by the end of the summer I felt as if I had been a nudist my whole life.I eventually joined an organization dedicated to keeping the clothing-optional beach clean and to help “police” the population. I also joined a group called Clothing Optional Dinners. We have had nude dinners at local restaurants, poetry reading in the nude, a nude high tea and a night at a nude comedy club (the comedians were also nude). Why am I preaching that we should become nudists?* We could all zip through airport security.* Nudists don’t know how rich anyone is because everyone is dressed the same.* Nudists listen to each other, because at a clothing-optional beach everyone makes eye contact.* Politics is hardly ever an issue — most nudists are united in their desire to keep the environment clean. And yes, there are many nudists who are Republicans.* Finally, nudists tend to be very kind people who take up many worthy causes - they would even give you the shirts off their backs (if they were wearing shirts). Have I become jaded about women’s bodies by my experience? The answer is no. I still find women in clothes attractive.Some people fear that our society will turn into a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah if we allow people to be nude in public. This is far from the truth. You know who should really worry about public nudity? The peddlers of pornography — for if we became inured to nudity in everyday life, then there would be little or no market for their wares. A final thought: I have slightly elevated blood pressure. But when I am at the beach, people have told me they want to put a mirror to my mouth to make sure I am still breathing — I am that relaxed.Robert Denker(LAT-WP)
