A Nudist Paradise

Miami Beach nude bathers sign
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Florida is a nudist paradise. Our subtropical climate allows us to enjoy clothing optional activities all year long. This attracts a large number of gay and bisexual men, both residents and tourists, who enjoy being naked among other naked men. Our presence creates a gay nudist community that is larger than any other in the United States outside of Palm Springs. Though local liquor laws (Key West’s excepted) forbid us to disrobe in bars and clubs that serve liquor, we have at our disposal a wide assortment of private homes, guest houses, campgrounds, “saunas,” yoga studios and the clothing-optional section at Haulover Beach. South Florida is also the home of several large, active, gay nudist clubs, most of them affiliated with Meetup.

For those who do not want to stay home or have the time and money there are large gatherings sponsored by national and international groups like GNI (Gay Naturists International), IMEN (International Men Enjoying Naturism) and CMEN (Community of Men Enjoying Naturism). Here the use of the term naturism is intentional: naturists seem more interested in the spiritual and health aspects of living in the buff than the more sexually charged nudists. Personally, I prefer the term nudist to describe myself and my clothing-optional activities.

I have lived as an openly gay nudist for most of my adult life. Though most public settings require me to wear clothes, they are at best a necessary evil. Being naked makes me feel free. In my biased opinion, there is nothing more beautiful in God’s green earth than an attractive naked man; and my participation in nudist venues and events gives me plenty of opportunities to indulge my aesthetic sense. In the early eighties, I was a founding member and officer of the Everglades Rawhides, South Florida’s first gay nudist group. Later I joined the Rawhides’ successor, the Gold Coast Bare Skins (of which I’m currently a Board member), The WildFyre Society, and several Meetup groups. I also attend major gatherings sponsored by GNI, IMEN and CMEN.

Openly gay and bisexual nudists comprise a small percentage of the queer male population. Most LGBT people share the heterosexual community’s dislike for public nudity; or share the belief that public nudity should be limited to individuals who look like a porn star or a fashion model. But most openly gay nudists are not so fortunate. We run the gamut from the incredibly hot to the awfully not. Even a sizable percentage of the men who attend gay naked parties or events are not nudists in the personal or political sense of the word. Some of them go to meet sexual partners while others go to socialize. Still, just by being at a gay nudist function these men gradually lose their inhibitions and become part of the gay nudist experience.

Haulover Beach at north Miami Beach
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

As an openly gay nudist, I believe that public nudity – in appropriate venues – should be a human right. Unfortunately, society treats nudity as a privilege, and a highly restricted one at that. Often the same forces that oppose a woman’s right to choose and the rights of LGBT and other minorities also oppose clothing-optional beaches and other nude venues. That is why we should support naturist activist groups like South Florida Free Beaches/Florida Naturist Association (SFFB/FNA) and The Naturist Society (TNS). Thanks to their hard work, conservative Florida has Haulover Beach, one of our greatest nude beaches. Without groups like SFFN/FNA and TNS, clothing optional venues that nudists now take for granted will no longer be at our disposal.

Jesse’s Journal
By Jesse Monteagudo

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and South Florida resident since 1964. Share your own experiences with him at jessemonteagudo@comcast.net.