Guy & Carla

Guy & Carla
We love the outdoors, but even more so Nude

Sunday, July 31, 2016

My Uber story

I know this isn't totally nudist related, but if any of you are interested in making some part time money, working for yourself, consider driving for Uber. 



We started a few months ago and we really enjoy it as we can work whenever we feel like it and make a little extra money now and then. And sometimes, it pays really well, like the examples I posted in the video below.

And I do get in some interesting conversations about nudism.  Like one time when the passengers all got in and one asked why I had clothes on.  Took me a minute to remember the Life is Short, Play naked sticker on my back window. 

Anyway, here's the video and hopefully it helps some of you.



Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Please Signing our Petition & Help Nudism

We have created a petition at: https://www.change.org/p/mitchell-j-silver-allow-public-nudity-in-an-area-of-a-new-york-city-park?recruiter=111669820&utm_source=petitions_show_components_action_panel_wrapper&utm_medium=copylink

Here's the jist of this petition:

As New York City has shown itself to be at the forefront of social change, and anecdotal evidence has shown that both toplessness and exposure in appropriate public settings does not harm, nor represent a nuisance to society, we hereby petition the great city of New York to set aside an area of public park land within the city limits for clothing-optional recreation consistent with the Rules and Regulations of the New York City Department of Parks and Regulations excluding Section 1-04(n).
 Since 1992, NY v Santorelli has given equal rights to men and women to be topless in public areas of New York.  While there were few women that took advantage of this right at the beginning, it has become more prevalent and legitimate over the past decade due to the efforts of groups like the Outdoor Co-ed Topless Pulp Fiction Appreciation Society and social action campaigns like Free the Nipple.  These groups have continuously demonstrated that the stated purpose of laws like Section 245.01 of New York State Law - to “protect parents and children… ‘from the discomfort caused by unwelcome public nudity’ “ (NY v Santorelli, 1992 Titone, J concur) - are erroneous in their assumptions, and therefore these laws are unnecessary and unwarranted.
 Moreover, events like the World Naked Bike Ride and NYC Bodypainting Day have shown that this stated purpose is in error with regards to exposure in general, therefore negating the entire purpose of this section of the law.
 Clothing-optional areas that have been set aside in other communities have not shown an increase in public disturbances, and, in fact, have been shown to be good at self regulating their community.  As expressed by sociologist Martin S. Weinberg in Sexual Modesty, Social Meaning, and the Nudist Camp (1965), the rules and customs observed [in clothing-optional public settings] were sufficient to maintain modesty (defined as a form of reserve) and, participants were as modest as their clothed counterparts.
 A recent poll conducted for the Naturist Education Foundation showed strong public support for public nude recreation.  This includes strong public support for nude sunbathing and significant rejection of the claim that the majority of Americans are personally offended by the non-sexual nudity of others. (The independent poll was conducted by the prestigious Zogby Analytics polling firm. Naturist Education Foundation Poll Results )
 Government has the responsibility to represent the citizens of its community and to provide the lawful and decent services requested by that community.  Therefore, we humbly request an area of public park land within New York City be designated for clothing-optional use.  This area would be subject to all of the same rules and regulations as any other public park area other than the regulation on exposure.

This petition created on behalf of a group on Facebook that works to educate the general public about the rights of those citizens who choose clothes free recreation.  We are working to educate and gain equal rights of those citizens who choose the clothes free lifestyle.  For more information visit one our petition planning group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1561706037411423/
or our general information website about the clothing optional lifestyle at:
http://www.wearlesslivemore.org

Again, visit https://www.change.org/p/mitchell-j-silver-allow-public-nudity-in-an-area-of-a-new-york-city-park?recruiter=111669820&utm_source=petitions_show_components_action_panel_wrapper&utm_medium=copylinkhttps://www.change.org/p/mitchell-j-silver-allow-public-nudity-in-an-area-of-a-new-york-city-park?recruiter=111669820&utm_source=petitions_show_components_action_panel_wrapper&utm_medium=copylink to sign this petition.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Why the Nudity Taboo is Unethical and Must Go

Re-blogged from https://writersdisease.net/2013/10/21/why-the-nudity-taboo-is-unethical-and-must-go/

I have always believed in the fundamental right to be naked. Outside of protection from the elements, from cold and physical hazards like thorns and broken beer bottles, clothing is entirely unnecessary, a matter of custom, of adornment, nothing more. I see no reason to wear clothes at home, at the pool, on the beach or at the park. Wherever bathing suits are acceptable, nudity should be also. Clothing has nothing to do with morality. Anyone who believes that society cannot function should people expose their genitals has only to look at the Bororo, Pataxo, and Xerente tribes of the Amazon, where complete nudity is customary. Going natural was practiced in Ancient Sparta, among Celtic tribes, and remains a common form of recreation for many Americans. Just visit NudeState. The image collection of families and friends sharing “naked time” together is simply beautiful. This is why it breaks my heart to hear about Christian Adamek:


      “Christian Adamek, from Huntsville, Alabama, hanged himself on October 2, a week after he was arrested for running naked across the Sparkman High football field during a game. The teenager died two days later from his injuries and on Wednesday, friends and family gathered at a memorial service as they struggled to comprehend the beloved student’s death. A video of Adamek streaking during a game against a rival team was posted on YouTube hours after the event and students took to Twitter to call him a ‘legend.’ ‘Sparkman’s new slogan is gonna be “Welcome to Sparkman High School, Home of Christian Adamek,”‘ one student wrote. But school staff did not treat the situation so lightly.  Sparkman High Principal Michael Campbell told WHNT a day before the suicide attempt that the teen could face major repercussions because of his actions. ‘There’s the legal complications,’ Campbell said. ‘Public lewdness and court consequences outside of school with the legal system, as well as the school consequences that the school system has set up.’ In Alabama, indecent exposure is linked to the state’s sex offender laws, meaning that he could have found himself on the sex offenders register due to the streaking.  Campbell added that that the incident was not just a prank and needed to be treated seriously. Sparkman High administrators even recommended that Adamek face a hearing in the Madison County court system to determine if formal charges would be filed, WHNT reported.  Adamek had also been disciplined by the school district but the details had not been made public.

The day before the suicide attempt, the principal had confirmed that Adamek was not at school and the teenager’s sister suggested on Twitter that Adamek faced expulsion, AL.com reported.
Campbell declined to comment on Adamek’s death but the Madison County school district issued a statement saying it had ‘received word that a Sparkman High School student has passed away.’Our prayers and thoughts are with the family during this time of bereavement,’ the statement read. The messages on Twitter have now turned from congratulatory to somber. ’Praying for the Adamek family. Christian was so funny and nice. He will be missed by so many,’ one girl wrote. ‘He was one that brightened the room when he walked in. That’s what I’ll always remember about Christian.’” —-”Boy, 15, kills himself after ‘facing expulsion and being put on sex offender registry’ for streaking prank at high school football game” by Lydia Warren, The Daily Mail


I would never go so far as to suggest that the reason for Adamek’s suicide was the shame of nudity, or even the extreme punishment he was threatened with, placement on the Sex Offender Registry List, where he would forever be associated with the worst of sexual deviants. More than likely, Adamek suffered from some form of depression. One does not choose suicide on a whim. But I do believe his streaking was a way for him to cope. I often find nudity to be cathartic and more than once have contemplated freeing my body about the neighborhood. Perhaps Adamek felt the need to draw attention to his existence. Whatever the case may be, his actions should have been celebrated. Incriminating him could only have damaged his already fragile psyche, and this is the shame of this story, the intolerance of those who cling to outdated and meaningless taboos. If we continue to treat people who choose body freedom like rapists and child molesters, we pervert the very meaning of what it is to be a sex offender, and by association, belittle the evils of rape and molestation. People who commit sex crimes cause lasting psychological wounds. Nobody who sees a human body has ever been harmed by it.

Anti-nudity laws are unethical in that they criminalize a state of being. There is no precedent, no comparable law, and worse, no rationale for it. It is entirely rooted in archaic religious traditions. But while we no longer justify beating our wives or stoning adulterers, we must also accept that the human body is not an object of sin, nor can it be considered lewd, indecent or obscene. Unlike public sex or masturbation, nakedness is not an act, and for children innocent to sex, does not arouse. While some people unused to what humans look like may feel awkward, the feeling stems not from some fundamental aspect of nature, but a society that teaches children that their bodies are something to hide, which can often have devastating consequences. When I was twelve, I needed surgery around my “private” parts, but what had been so very private went on display for nurses, doctors, surgeons and family members. At the time, I felt violated, but realizing it had to be done for my health, my rage turned toward society. If raised among the Bororo, Pataxo or Xerente people, or as my great Spartan ancestors were, I would have never felt violated (although I probably wouldn’t have had the surgery either!).

The only case anyone can make against social nudity is that it is offensive. While this may be the case for some people, and honestly I cannot imagine how something so common to us all can be, it is irrelevant when it comes to what is legal. At the risk of sounding like a Fox News pundit, the First Amendment guarantees Americans freedom of expression. No matter how offended I am (and often am) by people driving around with giant Confederate flags on the back of their trucks, I know that it is their right to do so, and that it would be unethical of me to criminalize their expression, however racist and hurtful it may be. I can legally burn a Bible, a Koran, even an American flag. I can hold a sign at a gay man’s funeral that reads, “God Hates Fags”; I can tattoo myself with a swastika and wear a T-shirt with Hitler’s face on it; and I can put a bumper sticker on my car comparing the president to a terrorist. And yet, the one thing I am never free to express is that of my humanity, my belief that the body is an inherent good and innocent thing, and that the only real shame is to hide it, or to fear that some neighbor might peer over a fence and be offended by it. I have only to take one step beyond my front door, and should I feel the sun on my surgical scar, I become a criminal. For the remainder of my life, I am barred from schools and playgrounds and anywhere children gather. In essence, I am treated worse than a Nazi, because a penis is a greater offence than a swastika. This is what Christian Adamek was faced with. No doubt, he was hurting inside, more than his friends and family could imagine, and our society failed him. A society that treats streakers as criminals, that bases a legal system upon outdated religious taboos, fails us all.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

I"m OFFENDED by Nudity

If you've been a nudist for long, you've probably heard that argument as to why public nudity should be illegal.  Comments like 'I don't want to see naked people walking around in public' or 'It's offensive to see naked people in public'.  I've always thought, what a ridiculous reason to enact laws, but it happens.

Then today I came across this video and just had to share it with you because it's perfect and applies to our lifestyle so well.

Feel free to share this video and blog post with your nudist, and NON nudist friends. 
















Take care,
Guy & Carla Purcella

Sunday, February 14, 2016

The Impact of Coming out on Your Job & Family

I think most nudists are afraid to chance coming out to family, friends and co-workers for fear of losing their jobs, family issues, etc. And even though they are family, or close friends, co-workers, etc, we can't ever know what their reaction will be until we make that decision to be open about it. I'm self employed in construction with my own small drywall and painting business and I figured if others found out about my nudist life it could hurt business. But, I slowed chanced mentioning it to more and more of them, and found, that hasn't been the case at all. In fact, it’s been mostly very positive.

With customers, I approach the subject with casual confidence and am not overbearing. I'll just casually mention it somehow such as mentioning how good it feels to be able to finally get out and get some sun without tan lines and then I get a feel for their reaction. Or I’ll get to talking about liking privacy and mention that we like to sun without swimsuits so privacy is a must for us. Numerous customers have actually allowed me to work naked on their jobs because of this, while the rest thought it was cool or they just ignored it. But it never seemed to hurt my chances of getting the job once, and I probably find a way to hint at it with about 70% of my customers. So the fear was mostly in my mind.

One year my wife worked for a large corporation and we hosted World Naked Gardening Day at our house. The media found out so we let them all know and were on TV 4 times and on the front page of the local paper. NOTHING happened at work besides a few innocent jokes. Several thought it was really cool. And even though we were all over the news for it, we had no major issues with the general public, although our HOA did have a long discussion with us, which resulted in them realizing we weren’t out to flash their kids or anything, so it blew over just fine.

I also started wearing kilts and going out in public with my toes painted years ago. I thought these too would cause my issues. Neither hurt me at all, so most fears are indeed in our mind, we just have to be willing to confront them, which I know not all are. And I think that's sad, and is one reason we have such a hard time gaining the understanding of society, and our legal rights to have places to go nude besides our house or resorts, for those of us inland.

Until we realize that coming out is usually not nearly as traumatic as we think it will be, our whole dream of being accepted by the public may never happen. Those of us who dream of gaining rights to exercise our lifestyle choice in portions of parks, our front yard, etc may never see that happen if more of us don’t stand up for our beliefs and come out to everyone. I know many of you will post reasons you can’t, but I believe that only about 10-20% of you who think that, would actually have any problems. But the choice is of course yours.

And like a friend of mine, Maurice W. Smith said on Facebook - ” It is that simple, it really is. It's when you attempt keeping secrets instead of just being completely honest and open that people can use things against us. If you're open and honest then all people can do is try to use things against us but if we are open books then much of the power has been removed from those that are out to hurt us. No more fear.”

To learn more about the nudist lifestyle, visit http://www.wearlesslivemore.org
Or join our Facebook page to help promote nudism at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PromotingNudism/
And be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel promoting nudism at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvML_B0_PZEcF8xA7XUyXfA

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

How Public Indecency Laws Affect our Lifestyle

Public Indecency & How it Affects Nudists & Naturists

Walking nude through a neighborhood
In many areas of the US, nudists can be arrested for Indecent Exposure if seen naked in public areas. But what is Public Indecency?

According to Wikepedia - "In the United States, indecent exposure refers to conduct undertaken in a non-private or (in some jurisdictions) publicly viewable location, which is deemed indecent in nature, such as nudity, masturbation or sexual intercourse in public view"


So basically it is what society deems indecent to see in public. I can understand Masturbation, or intercourse, but our simple naked bodies are indecent? Does this really make sense to anyone? Sure, some don't want to see it, and we have been heavily conditioned to believe it's wrong, but that in and of itself doesn't make our bodies indecent and should not be the basis for a law. Society does not have the right to create laws just because something offends them.








It’s difficult to say why nudity makes us so uneasy, but it’s clear that our aversion to nakedness is longstanding and probably religious in nature. When upholding anti-indecency laws, several judges have pointed to the Bible.  But religion should be separated from our laws according to the separation of church and state.  But it's also likely that it's because we have for so long hidden our bodies from each other with clothes, therefore when we finally do see a naked body, it elicits a sexual response that many find embarrassing.  They feel that if they have these feelings, others will too and therefore it's a bad idea to allow it.  What they fail to realize is that the reason they feel that way about nudity is because it is so hidden from us.  If they saw nudity often, like many nudists do, they would get over that reaction and it would just seem normal, as proven by millions of nudists worldwide.  Sexual innuendo happens far less when nudists get together than when textiles get together.

When arguing against public nudity, phrases using ugly words like Rampant, Deviant, Explicit, Lewd, etc are often used to make our lifestyle look as ugly as possible because the only concern those against public nudity have is to win, at all costs.  This means that to them it's ok to use words that are not accurate but not a provable lie either, in order to make nudists and naturists look as immoral and deviant as possible.


We are so heavily conditioned to simply believe what we are told.  It often starts at childhood as our parents pass on to their children what they were taught, without really considering 'Why' it's wrong or necessary.  So we continue this chain of shame and embarrassment for generations.  The only way to stop this is to break the chain with your own children. 


Next argument, it's harmful to minors. This is also totally unproven and based solely on opinions. Here's from a study of the effects of nudity on children-

"Exposure to parental nudity was associated with positive, rather than negative, sexual experiences in adolescence, but with reduced sexual experience overall. Boys exposed to parental nudity were less likely to have engaged in theft in adolescence or to have used various psychedelic drugs and marijuana. There is no evidence that children are harmed by nonsexualized social nudity, and there is good reason to believe they are benefited by it. Proposals for laws banning to children the innocent experience of being human, appearing human, and seeing others as such are unwarranted, unfounded, and have no scholarly basis."

Ok, next argument. Then it's to maintain our moral standards and modesty. That is a matter of personal preference. I find it immoral to force others to wear clothing and to be ashamed of our naked bodies. And modesty is defined as "Modesty and demureness is a mode of dress and deportment intended to avoid encouraging sexual attraction in others". Well nudists have long known that it is much sexier and attractive to wear clothing, especially bikinis, mini skirts, etc, as in the photo below, (from http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51v1VWRc1-L.jpg) Being around a bunch of naked people is not a sexual turn on. Erections are pretty much non existent, and harrassment in public areas is also non existent, or MUCH less than in the general, clothed public.

This is much more erotic that simple nudity
 
It's time to seriously re-evaluate our laws making public nudity illegal.  And lets leave religion out of it and base the laws on PROOF.  If there's no proof of harm, then the law should NOT exist. 


Being arrested for public nudity is wrong
(The image above is from https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2CuYhZpVxd6jPUb4dZPCTd4OxhP16LsJ4oDpxKgctD96_9nNK)

I hope this helps and this is just some more information to help you understand why we need to end the laws that can ruin a persons life for being seen naked, doing nothing sexual or perverted.


Thank you,

Guy Purcella
Nudist/naturist and human rights activist

‪#‎endindecencylaws‬ ‪#‎endnuditylaws‬ ‪#‎nudeisnotlewd‬

Sunday, January 24, 2016

The Life of a Nudist Activist

The Life of an Activist, (myself included)
What is an ACTIVIST? Here's a good definition-
An activist is a person who campaigns for some kind of social change. When you participate in a march protesting the closing of a neighborhood library, you're an activist. Someone who's actively involved in a protest or a political or social cause can be called an activist.

I stand up for many things and campaign for change in several of those often, but most notable for the acceptance of nudity in public and acceptance of our naked bodies. So yes, I'm an Activist.

The Price For Standing up For What You Believe in, or for Being an Activist.

Some of us feel a calling to stand up for something we believe is wrong and needs changed, and we realize that somebody has to do it, and if not us, then who? So we dedicate a lot of our time to trying to convey our message, and to reach others who are often misinformed about the subject we are an activist for. We post memes, share and tell stories, provide facts, etc, in an attempt not to force others to believe our way, but as a way to educate others about our cause.

But being an activist comes at a price, and it's a price we WILL pay, and one we are willing to pay. We can lose friends, family can pull away or even shun us, and sometimes our Facebook friends get tired of seeing our activist posts. We can also be arrested if we choose to fight laws we believe are injust, and of course we can lose Facebook accounts and have to start all over. But we are passionate about it and believe it is for the betterment of society. We believe that we CAN make a change so we sacrifice our time trying to reach others. Sometimes we are called names, and often we are preaching to the choir, but our hope is that some of you will share our posts and help us spread the word.

In my case, I can find NO logical reason that allowing others to see our human bodies without clothes should be cause for us to be arrested. The primary reasons I can come up with for those laws are the 'I don't want to see it' mentality and religious based reasons. There's no proof that the sight of a naked body in public will cause harm to anyone of any age so it comes down to not wanting to see it. In a longer post I can provide a lot of argument for the benefits of nudism, but I'll save that for another post.

For now my friends need to know that I will continue to be an activist for ending body shame and I'm willing to suffer the consequences for standing up for what is right. So now you know why I do it and I hope a few of you will join me in this cause.