Nudism Update

So, this newbie nudist has now been periodically experimenting with being clothes-free for almost 3 months and thought I'd post how my experiences so far have evolved my perspective.

I'll start by listing some of things that I've done so far. So far I've been fortunate enough to enjoy several cocktail parties with over 100 naked, gay men. I've been to movie nights and matinees. I attended more intimate naked dinners and enjoyed time naked in a hot tub. I've been to tea parties and of course one of the best parties I've ever been to. I've joined gay nudists groups and have chatted online with nudists from around the world including England, Germany, Spain, Canada and of course all over the United States.

As I've said before, I have learned that nudists need not necessarily stand for anything. The biggest requirement is to just enjoy being naked. I have come to realize that it is typically an over-simplification to simply state that someone likes nudity because of X (fill in the blank). As in most things in life, our reasons are typically many and varied.

Being gay and nudist may slant my perspective and experiences, but I have no real way of knowing this for sure (I tried to be a straight nudist for a day just to compare, but it somehow didn't work out). I do know this, as a friend once stated, gay nudism is frequently associated with sex or sensuality. That's not to say, that everyone is having sex all of the time, but rather that there is frequently an underlying amount of sexual tension involved. I guess this can be said whenever people gather to some extent or another though. That said, I have participated in many events where there was no overt sex, groping or anything similar and found these to be fun and non-sexually satisfying. For example: imagining playing a board game with friends, then imagining playing the same board game nude. I, and in all likelihood most nudists, would say that the later situation only enhances the fun.

Sadly, although the Washington area is rich in social groups and opportunities to go nude, I have not been nude nearly as much as I would've liked. Partly this is because, living with my mother-in-law tends to limit me to nudity outside of the home. There are still many things that I'd love to do, some of which will become more possible as the weather continues to warm. I still really enjoy nudism, so perhaps this isn't just a phase. We'll see.

Lastly, I must comment on the friends and people that I have met. I've never met so many warm, accepting and nice people so quickly. Even if I hated being nude, the relaxing of the social barriers alone might have been justification enough for me to participate. I've met great people that share openly and give of themselves. That's not to say that I've found utopia and haven't met a few people that showed a little attitude because on rare occasions I have, but this has never really bothered anyway.

Lastly, I'll ask a philosophical question since it is in nature to do so. Are people more social when they're naked or are people that enjoy nudity more likely to be social? What do you think?