Promoting / Enhancing Diversity
If you check out most nudist / naturist publications and social media you'd probably think the entire community is only cis gender, straight, Caucasians based on the images used.
In fact, a few months ago I had a "discussion" with representatives of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) regarding their "#IAmTheFaceOfNaturism" campaign post on Twitter. SURPRISE, it was all Caucasian photos!!!! When I pointed this out they indicated they had tweeted a (i.e.; ONE) request for BIPOC (black, Indigenous and people of color) users to submit photos. When I asked if they made any further effort to make sure BIPOC members were in the campaign before publishing they pointed out that the Black Naturists Association (BNA) is an AANR affiliate club. (This appears to be their go to response whenever the topic of "diversity" comes up.) The "discussion" went nowhere from there.
With all due respect, the BNA is more of a travel group that organizes trips to various clothing optional sites rather than a "club" in a specific area like other AANR affiliate organizations. (And unless you knew it was organized out of Delaware you'd be hard pressed to find its listing of affiliate organizations on AANR's site.) Similarly there is the "Afro Nudist" organized on MeetUp as "a place for men of color to explore fitness, healthy living and mindful connections with others in the buff." The group is in Los Angeles, CA. To the best of my knowledge, there are no other BIPOC nudist / naturist organizations.
It's not for the lack of trying. In addition to True Nudists, I'm on Twitter, MeWe, Reddit, Instagram and a few other social media sites always open to connect with other BIPOC (as well as LGBT+) nudists / naturists. I even make weekly #FF (Follow Friday) Twitter posts including some of the accounts I follow in an effort to bridge further connections with similar users. And while I do have a fair amount of mutual BIPOC and gay nudist followers (mostly on Twitter), we're connected but not necessarily connecting or engaging. True Nudists has the most forums for naturists of these demographics, but still we don't seem to be connecting or engaging much less promoting or enhancing the representation of diversity of the nudist / naturist community.
Is there any more that we can / should be doing? Are there users who're interested in more than collecting social media followers? Are there other diverse organizations beyond travel clubs and single site groups? Most important, are there any users interested in promoting and enhancing the diversity of organizations like AANR?
Well, no and yes. As I mentioned, AANR was quick to point out that they have an all black affiliate organization. So this still doesn't explain the presumed lack of effort to contact the group and ask members to contribute to AANR's campaign. BNA of course has members images in their Twitter and other social media posts. Likewise there are other other Asian, black, Latino, etc nudists that interact with AANR who post their images on Twitter and other social media. So again, there's really no excuse for the lack of effort by AANR to make sure that their campaign called "#IAmTheFaceOfNaturism" had more than Caucasian faces in it.
So one of the things I undertook to try to promote diversity in the nudist group I was volunteering with for a couple years was to standardize certain requirements for representation in graphic design and content. It's really hard to do well and it doesn't happen instantly... I had far more beef than I would choose if freedom was absolute but... in a year young femme men or gender fluid large hairy polar bears (one Pride no one reacted negatively to the fact that there wasn't one white man on any of the promotional materials for 5 events... BIPOC men of course had a mostly great reaction (criticism was that the bodies were very much muscles and chiseled features and I agree but I chose between smooth diversity and aesthetic range in a comfort zone for Pride or using non normative bodies and decided to wait for the following months to do that... and the biggest challenge with using naked BIPOC is that the majority of nudes online are pornographic even if non sexual... and that objectification is always intensified when a Black or Asian man for example are represented... I guess the question is how do you (as men of colour generally) wish to see yourself in diversified representation and how do you not? And can that even be possible if men of colour aren't already involved? I'm not suggesting here it isn't more looking for the feelings people have... ultimately it boils down (for me) to nudism being healthy and supportive for men and the right of access to that culture and the right to see yourself represented in nudism. Also... if you could reliably go to a diversity focused and supportive nudist group but that was very low key not branded or public would that be better than seeing the diversity in the larger advertising and representation? Or is it both?
This is a chicken and egg problem, but AANR is not relevant in promoting diversity. On their "places to go" tab they list AANR clubs and Nude Beaches and Public Lands. There is no policy statement regarding diversity related to AANR's 180+ nudist resorts and clubs across North America and internationally with which they are affiliated. I have been discriminated against as a normally highly privileged white single heteronormative dad in local resorts. So it's impossible for me to imagine AANR affiliates not discriminating against anyone other than the naked Brady Bunch.
Charity starts at home. If AANR were to set diversity policies and hold their private affiliates to those standards, I'd consider them viable. Without it, any efforts are like hanging up a "diversity" air freshener. They are doomed to irrelevance.
AANR can not resolve it's own dishonesty , discrimination & maligning towards single or solo married men. Llet alone to try to be honest about furthering inclusion of the so called "others". , Just my observation and misfortune of being solo married nudist , I question also how do so called True Nudist's looks selves in the mirror when they can't even accept other for real nudists on equal terms
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