I'm curious about this type of activity and how other nudists view it. The idea of the WNBR (for those of you not familiar with it) is to hop on a bike in a major city on a specific day and ride around a pre-determined route. This is done in the form of a protest for a variety of issues, from nudist rights to usage of natural resources (oil, coal, etc.). Their website (Google "world naked bike ride) can provide further details if you require more information. My question is this: Do you think that this type of activity breaks down barriers for the everyday nudist? I am lumping this (wnbr) in with things like the Bare to Breakers in San Francisco every year. These folks are taking a risk to be nude in public with police foreknowledge of the event. Sometimes they are arrested for their participation, sometimes they are not. Their reasoning appears to be "The more nude people that are seen by textiles, the less of an issue it is." I admire their willingess to face potential criminal charges in in order to live the way they wish to live, but I'm not sure if it actually promotes a nude lifestyle, as much as a 'thrill' of being naked in public. Just curious. Thanks for your time. Nobility is not a birthright, it is defined by one's actions.

I went to the Spencer Tunick art event in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, two weeks ago, with 1699 other nude people. It was fascinating to talk with a lot of people who were prepared to go nude in the name of art for three hours in the centre of a city. That evening 500 people were nude on the bridge, it was screened live on BBC TV, yet I did not talk to any naturists nor anyone who expressed an interest in naturism. In the morning, part way through, getting from one place to another, we were expected to cross a bridge with a simple plastic cape to cover us. Four people did not bother to cover up. I found it interesting to observe that some found the behaviour of the four to be offensive. Those very same people who disapproved were nude for the rest of the event, before and after. Maybe they thought there is a strict time and place for nudity and it should only happen when it is "official", when it becomes inoffensive. I think the event broke down barriers in a positive way.

I think it depends on the nude event and the location of the event and the demographics of the surroounding community, the whole community standards issue. In San Francisco, and most areas of the Pacific North West, there is a general acceptance of nudity for political protest. I recently saw how a group of bike riders rode nude across a bridge near Portland Oregon to protest the lack of a bike lane to raise awareness of a possible safety issue. I wouldn't advise trying the same sort of thing in the more conservative areas like say San Diego, you'ed likely end up in jail. But in the more laid back less uptight areas like the PNW it works. Hopefully one day this attitude will spread to other locals. Overall I think more of these sort of events will reduce the shock of nudity and make it more common and more normal to see naked humans. This is a good thing. The more we can do to disassociate ourselves from sexual nudity the better. So events that are of a sexual nature or slightly erotic are not going to be as constructive in this goal. Not saying they're wrong just that they wouldn't help in our case. But in general the more non-sexual nudity we can expose the public to the more accepted our veiws of nudity will become. So yes, I say it helps us. "The best dress for walking is nakedness." Colin Fletcher

I rode in the Chicago WNBR this past June 11. It is truly amazing to watch nearly 300 people strip off in plain view of the police, in complete defiance of local ordinances, and watch the enthusiasm of textiles along the bike route. Some riders painted slogans on their bodies to protest the overuse and addiction to oil that consumes modern transportation. I doubt most onlookers got that message. More significantly, the ride breaks the equivalence between nudity and sex that most people are conditioned to accept as an axiom. Only the most dogmatic, head in the sand prude can be offended by the exuberant display of individuality and body acceptance demonstrated when 300 people unashamedly bare all in the causes of natural dignity and the environment. I believe onlookers are first intrigued by the casual non-conformity and the novelty, but the lasting impression is one of harmless fun that motivates them to wonder why society is so hung up on simple nudity. Who exactly is served and protected by an ordinance that criminalizes simple non-sexual nudity? When the population majority realizes that only people with an unhealthy self-image are served by such ordinances, then maybe we will begin to see the dismantling of anti-nudity legislation.

The one thing that the WNBR does prove, is that the vast majority of people are not offended by nudity, no one fainted in the streets, no one had an attack of the vapours, no one was corrupted, so whats all the fuss about sunbathing naked in your back garden, or in a public park, they do it in Germany and as far as I'm aware there isn't wholesale sexual deviance in Germany as a result. What the WNBR does do for naturism, is take it to the masses and show them that its not the evil thing that the religious zealots would have them believe, the world didn't end as a result of hundreds of naked people riding a bicycle through a city,...... did it? Pete Knight

Yes Pete the masses can accept our Lifestyle and in the right places they tolerate it and dont run us out of Town. This ride is not to promote Naturism, their in your face protest,like streaking is not beneficent to yours or my right to enjoy Nudism appropriately.

While I respect Go N Nude's opinion, as one who has wholeheartedly participated in the Chicago WNBR for the past two years, I must disagree. The WNBR isn't about exhibitionism and it does benefit Naturism. The message of the WNBR is twofold. Yes, we protest the world addiction to oil and the vulnerability of humans to the consequential environmental changes. We emphasize this vulnerability by our nudity and reinforce that we are all adversely affected by sharing our common humanity. We are all nude under our clothes. Naturists care about the environment and Man's relation to Nature and so all Naturists should support a protest that harmlessly draws attention to the environmental devastation caused by our addiction to fossil fuels. Secondly, the WNBR stands for positive body attitudes and body acceptance. Maybe Go N Nude lives in a place where laws don't criminalize an innocence nude hike along a wilderness trail and don't punish people if they choose to find a secluded spot at the far end of a public beach to get an all over tan. I wish everyone had such privilege. I WAS arrested and charged with public nudity during the 2005 Chicago WNBR. I was NOT acting lewd or sexually suggestive, but merely being nude is sufficient to be charged and prosecuted. I received a sentence of 3 months court supervision. You don't overturn unreasonable laws by hiding at private nudist clubs shuffled out of public sight like lepers. The WNBR strives to make people aware that nudity is just another choice of attire. The au naturel outfit should be no more offensive than a full tuxedo as long as public health and cleanliness rules are observed. In a clothes-minded society, the Naturists will be criminals.

The World is accepting of nude recreation by those who donot infringe on their rights. We can enjoy our lifestyle where we please and when we please, everyBody would be happier. I enjoy membership at a club 365 days a year where nudism is enjoyed expected and accepted by the community at large. We have come along way in public acceptance, no thanks to WNBR.

"Yes Pete the masses can accept our Lifestyle and in the right places they tolerate it and dont run us out of Town. This ride is not to promote Naturism, their in your face protest,like streaking is not beneficent to yours or my right to enjoy Nudism appropriately". Referring to go n nude's comments above. When a new sexual offences law was being considered for England and Wales, government research showed that streaking was not considered objectionable by sufficient people to make it a sexual offence. However, until naturists got involved, what many of us regard as reasonable, non-exhibitionist nudity may well have have been banned.

According to Nude N Go; "The World is accepting of nude recreation by those who do not infringe on their rights." Please list the rights of others that my nude body infringes upon. "We can enjoy our lifestyle where we please and when we please, everyBody would be happier." Try enjoying your nudist lifestyle on North Beach in Chicago. Someone will take offense and call the police. I'm offended by people who try to impose their intolerance of the human body on me. Can I counter-file a complaint in court? "I enjoy membership at a club 365 days a year where nudism is enjoyed, expected, and accepted by the community at large." Good for you Nude N Go! You've capitulated to the textile attitudes and willingly restricted your lifestyle choice to the nudist preserve. "We have come a long way in public acceptance, no thanks to WNBR." In the last decade, many US states have been emboldened to pass laws making public nudity illegal. Prior to a 1994 case tried before the US Supreme Court, most states had reasonable laws that punished indecent exposure that required commission of a lewd act. Indiana adopted a law against public nudity and wrote it broadly enough so that it didn't discriminate against any specific group and it didn't violate freedom of expression. This was tested and upheld by the Supreme Court and so many other states adopted the same wording. Now only a few states have NOT criminalized simple public nudity. I guess we have come a long way, in the WRONG direction, no thanks to the WNBR.

Bob, I am surprised that Homeland Security was interested enough to call in the cops on a jogger. I hope you weren't running near a secret facility; if so, the secret is out now. And of course, you always carry your driving license in the running shorts, right? In there along with the passport and other running essentials. Again we see that an activist is a quiet citizen who has had a personal encounter with overzealous gummint. There were quite a few of us forty years ago, and that might be where some folk got their introduction to political action. I hope you find your biking activity rewarding - just remember that change comes slowly, and only with continued pressure. Changing society is more like melting ice than like cracking nuts.