Sexual Preference — The Mens Room on True Nudists

Tom DOriginal Poster

Oct 19, 2022

Based on my informal observation on this and other nudity related sited, the proportion of gay and bi males seems to be higher than in the population as a whole.
Do you think this is because they are more likely to be nudists than straight men, more likely to share their involvement in nudity, or some combination of the two?

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Steve
Oct 19, 2022
I think a good part of it is just that they're men. Men are much less subject to harassment and assault if they misjudge the context for nudity than women are; it's no great mystery why men in general are vastly more comfortable with social nudity than women are. Sexual preference aside, there's a great preponderance of nudist men.
For gays in particular then - since our partners are men, we are more likely to have partners who are also into social nudity and comfortable with our involvement. If we're unpartnered, we're much more likely than a straight man to find a partner within the nudist community or at nudist venues.
Gays have also, all of us, have had to deal at least once with the experience of breaking with a deeply held social convention in order to build our lives. Nudity breaks another such convention, and our life experience may give us a different perspective on it.
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Stone Andy
Oct 19, 2022
When you strip away at clothes, labels fall as well. Men have always been sexual, with behavior determined partly by the environment. However, the term "homosexual" was invited in the 1860's (as the Industrial Revolution got underway and lifestyles became more regimented along with workplaces). Back in the 1970's the hyphenated American age emerged (Kiss me I'm Irish!). Now it's perhaps the age of pronouned sexuality, and we'll likely move on at some point to something else to focus on. Nudity, however, remains a great equalizer, and I believe gay and bi men are more open to it than your average no-boners-outside-of-marriage Puritanical American heterosexual. How about other countries?
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Marcus
Oct 19, 2022
Yes my feeling is also that in the nudist scene are more homosexuals than in the normal society. Do we have any objective data on this? When I am thinking about it you have gay nudist beaches which are not representing the nudism of the federations. I think this tension was there since the beginning. You have the naturists and you have the gay nudist people. So basically you have the naturists and you have the eroticists. And of course you have the gay naturists which follow the rules of the federations.
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Tom DOriginal Poster
Oct 19, 2022
[quote]I would have to disagree with the comment that, " Men are much less subject to harassment and assault if they misjudge the context for nudity than women are." At least in the U.S., a nude woman in public would be treated way nicer by onlookers and police than a male. A male would instantly be labeled a pervert or predator and most likely be arrested. A woman would be given the chance to put her clothes on and be allowed to go free. There are multiple accounts of this on news articles from newspapers across the U.S.[/quote] Maybe men are more likely to experience harassment from law enforcement, but women are more likely to experience harassment in the form of unwanted sexual advances, even if the rejection is accepted by the offending party and no assault is involved.
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Steve
Oct 19, 2022
I disagree completely that it has to do with being gay or bisexual, frankly I think it has zero to do with that. The male species in general are far more open when it comes to nudity and sexuality, just "displayed" differently based on his personality. Yes there are always exceptions, women are just far more private in their persona, which is why they tend not to be as open.
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John
Oct 19, 2022
Stevein Kona wrote: [quote] Gays have also, all of us, have had to deal at least once with the experience of breaking with a deeply held social convention in order to build our lives. Nudity breaks another such convention, and our life experience may give us a different perspective on it.[/quote] That's certainly a component as to why gay men have higher visibility in nudist sites and maybe other nudist venues like beaches or resorts. They've already rolled the dice once. And once they've found a community that accepts them for being naked, they may be more likely to turn to that community for other forms of self-validation. But I wouldn't say that there are a higher proportion of gays who are nudists as compared with the general population. The presence of gay bars in many urban areas testifies to the fact that "textile" gay men want to have their place in the sun as well. I'm not even sure if it would be possible to conduct a proper survey on the subject. And I'm not even sure it makes any difference in the long run. Nudism, at its core, has nothing to do with sexual preference any more than it has to do with skin color or body weight or any other variation in the human condition. And acknowledging that fact allows us to escape the thorny area of definitions: how "gay" do you have to be before you're considered to be (or self-identify as) "gay"? If you've had even one homosexual experience, does that make you "gay" or "bisexual" or any other label?
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EarlD
Oct 20, 2022
Mostly speculation with no real data to back it up. In real life nudist community no one is tracking whether you are gay or straight, unless it is a discriminatory community that is an aspect of this site that I have long thought is unnecessary.
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Stone Andy
Oct 20, 2022
[quote]You have the naturists and you have the gay nudist people. So basically you have the naturists and you have the eroticists. And of course you have the gay naturists which follow the rules of the federations.[/quote] I don't agree that gay nudist people are eroticists unless they follow the rules of the federations. I'm not sure which federations you're referring to, but US groups like AANR implicitly discriminate against single men, defined as men without a female escort. That makes gay naturists unwelcome unless their mom or sister wants to tag along. How can men, gay or straight, follow rules that are written to exclude them?
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Tom DOriginal Poster
Oct 20, 2022
[quote]Mostly speculation with no real data to back it up. In real life nudist community no one is tracking whether you are gay or straight, unless it is a discriminatory community that is an aspect of this site that I have long thought is unnecessary.[/quote] True, but many members here and elsewhere include their sexual preferences in their profile.
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Steve
Oct 20, 2022
We'll, there's all sorts of demographic information that can go in a profile so it's not surprising it's one that comes up, and one that members are generally happy to share.
I'd expect that a community that is somewhat outside of societal norms, like nudism, would be more likely to attract those who are comfortable with being outside those norms in more than one dimension.
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Steve
Oct 20, 2022
I am interested in women , and men , and those who enjoy both too . So what catagory do you place me i?? I am heterosexual , Bi , and gay . I enjoy nudity and being naked . Does enjoying nudity really catagorize me ?? No . But i accept all positions and views .
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ME
Member
Oct 20, 2022
[quote]Mostly speculation with no real data to back it up. In real life nudist community no one is tracking whether you are gay or straight, unless it is a discriminatory community that is an aspect of this site that I have long thought is unnecessary. True, but many members here and elsewhere include their sexual preferences in their profile.[/quote] "Seen but not heard". We're forced to pretend that we don't exist, and even if we do remain on our own we still get shat on. You might think that "no one is tracking if you are gay or straight" but I assure you that if I show up with my fianc at any resort that doesn't put inclusivity at their forefront, chances are we're going to get harassed in some capacity, stared at, or worse. We place our preferences on our profiles to both meet people within our community and those that don't shun us for existing. With the people we meet, we can then find locations where social nudism can be enjoyed without the fear of being hate crime'd. It sucks, but it's reality.
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Trekrider2779
Oct 20, 2022
[quote]Based on my informal observation on this and other nudity related sited, the proportion of gay and bi males seems to be higher than in the population as a whole. Do you think this is because they are more likely to be nudists than straight men, more likely to share their involvement in nudity, or some combination of the two?[/quote] My experience as a gay male would be to agree with that. I've been quite active in the beach scene for the past 18 years and socialise with a lot of men there. From my interaction, completely straight men are in the minority. Most are gay or bi. Gay men are more likely to be nudists than straight men - also my observation. Partly because gay men like seeing other naked men. Although of course there's much more to nudism, seeing other naked men wasoneof the factors that got me into it. In my 'pre nude' life, a very large proportion of gay men I met up with had been to nude beaches. Far, far, more so than with straight guys I've known. Having said that, there is definitely a not insignificant number of gay men who won't get naked because of body insecurity. This is made worse by the so-called gay 'community' being very judgemental with body appearance. I think this is reflected in the fact that most gay guys I meet at beaches are not part of the gay scene and couldn't care less.
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EarlD
Oct 20, 2022
[quote]True, but many members here and elsewhere include their sexual preferences in their profile.[/quote]

I think you misunderstand my point. When a person goes to a clothing optional beach do they indicate their sexual orientation before being allowed entry. When you apply for membership to a National nude organization outside of those specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community there is no enter you sexual orientation line on the membership form. A reputable naturist club or membership resort should not have any sure requirement.
Online if someone wants to include that information their bio then it would be their choice. The issue for me is having sexual orientation as profile category. In my opinion it helps to segregate a group people based on a classification that should have no bearing on their participation in the nudist community.

I dont want to friend someone based on their sexual orientation but rather on their interests. If you share my interests and are a part of the LGBTQIA+ thats fine, but I don't engage or not engage based on a persons sexual orientation. It leads to too many sloppy and potentially harmful assumptions and stereotypes like gay men are more erotic. Some might be but it is dangerous to conflate comfort with nudity, sexual orientation and erotic or sexual behavior. That is no different that assumptions made about straight single men being pervs.
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Steve
Oct 20, 2022
[quote] I dont engage or not engage base on a persons sexual orientation. It leads to too many sloppy and potentially harmful assumptions and stereotypes like gay men are more erotic. Some might be but it is dangerous to conflate comfort with nudity, sexual orientation and erotic or sexual behavior. That is no different that assumptions made about straight single men being pervs.[/quote] Thank you for pointing that out.
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John
Oct 20, 2022
stoneandy wrote: [quote]US groups like AANR implicitly discriminate against single men, defined as men without a female escort. That makes gay naturists unwelcome unless their mom or sister wants to tag along. How can men, gay or straight, follow rules that are written to exclude them?[/quote] The key word in that first sentence is "implicitly." The AANR doesn't explicitly discriminate against single men as an institutional policy, but leave it to the member clubs to decide policies regarding single men. Some of those clubs don't allow single men, or single men with children. Others allow single men but either set quotas or charge single men many times what they'd charge couples or single women. There's no uniform policy. I've visited three AANR-affiliated clubs in California and Oregon. None of those had policies restricting me as a single man. But, as the man says, "Your mileage may vary."
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jaybirds
Oct 20, 2022
[quote]Based on my informal observation on this and other nudity related sited, the proportion of gay and bi males seems to be higher than in the population as a whole. Do you think this is because they are more likely to be nudists than straight men, more likely to share their involvement in nudity, or some combination of the two?[/quote] Unless the numbers have changed recently, I'm not sure I agree with this observation. Somewhere between 5-7 years ago, the leader of the Naturist Action Committee was asked to address the Gay Naturist International Convention that particular year. He began by asking the assembled group "How many of you are out as being gay?" 95% raised their hands. Then, "How many of you are out as being nudists? Only 5% raised their hands!
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EarlD
Oct 20, 2022
[quote] Unless the numbers have changed recently, I'm not sure I agree with this observation. Somewhere between 5-7 years ago, the leader of the Naturist Action Committee was asked to address the Gay Naturist International Convention that particular year. He began by asking the assembled group "How many of you are out as being gay?" 95% raised their hands. Then, "How many of you are out as being nudists? Only 5% raised their hands![/quote] Thanks for sharing that info.
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Jim
Oct 21, 2022
"We'll, there's all sorts of demographic information that can go in a profile so it's not surprising it's one that comes up, and one that members are generally happy to share.
I'd expect that a community that is somewhat outside of societal norms, like nudism, would be more likely to attract those who are comfortable with being outside those norms in more than one dimension. "
I like the thought that one being outside the social norms, one is possibly more comfortable with other activities outside the social norms. Many people want to be "open" and "free" but are held back by internal and external boundaries. As you break through some of those boundaries, you find other boundaries falling away. If you can be open with your sexuality, you can be open with your body and visa versa.
Keep in mind, in my opinion, open sexuality and open body are not the same thing. Could be looked upon as two facets of the same lifestyle...
Having said that, why does sexual preference need to be indicated on a Nudist website? Again, in my opinion, if we are here because we enjoy being naked, then why should it matter what preference the other person is? Common ground is being free of clothes plus being open about & relaxed with our selves.
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Steve
Oct 21, 2022
Why is sexual preference on a nudist site? Well, it certainly doesn't have to be. But we-all-like-to-get-naked is not really a lot of commonality, and the various conversation-starters on the profiles - from favorite movies to income level - can be helpful. And they're all optional, so you can set your own tone on that one. Since one of the tick boxes for why you're on here is "dating", sexual preference would seem to be directly relevant there. I do wonder when I notice a profile that's on here for dating, but does NOT give a sexual preference. Really?
I put myself down as "gay" because I'm married to a man, and if I identify as married without specifying that I'm gay, any conversation that goes on for a while is going to hit this weird disclosure bump I'd just as soon head off.
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StevieLorna
Oct 22, 2022
[quote] I started the thread and it is not an issue for me either. I engage in conversations with men on this site without considering their sexual preference. Doesn't make a difference if I am conversing with someone in person either. I was just curious because there seems to be a much higher proportion of gay men on nudist sites than in the population as a whole and wondered if anyone had an idea as to why,[/quote] Hetro men join a naturist site in the hope of seeing naked women and not because they are naturists. I imagine its the same with gay men.
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Bill
Oct 22, 2022
I see plenty of naked women all the time living full time at a nude resort. I joined TN because I want to 'meet' and interact with other nudists and learn more about the lifestyle all over the world. Seeing more nude women is certainly a lovely perk for being on this website, but it is not the main reason for my attendance. As to the percentages of gay nudists versus gay non-nudists, I think we see a lot of bi and gays on this website because the forum is an open exchange and we are all free to vent our more personal attitudes and let our minds go wherever they want to go compared to more typical circles of conversation. On a personal level, the homosexuals and bi people I met in my earlier life were often very focused on sexual pursuits, but the older I've gotten (and with the average age of my gay/bi/try-anything friends also going up), I feel like I run into more and more in the real world who don't chase the sexual rabbit any more, satisfied with one monogamous partner. Additionally, that seems pretty much how my heterosexual friends have become, but this is nothing more than generalizing on my part and not assisting this topic along much. So I suggest here that it shouldn't matter what sexual preference a TN contributor claims, or if they don't claim a damned thing in their info. Profiles are here to help us learn more about each other, and some choose to keep that sexual preference entry blank. I think it is highly problematic for any nude resort to begin asking possible visitors any sexual preference questions during their check-in phase. I would never consider visiting a place where that is the case, whether it be offered on the phone when I call to make reservations or through some inappropriate rules of etiquette on their website. Inclusiveness should be the rule, though not only because of the way nudists and naturists are often subjected to discrimination outside of our fences. [quote]I started the thread and it is not an issue for me either.I engage in conversations with men on this site without considering their sexual preference.Doesn't make a difference if I am conversing with someone in person either.I was just curious because there seems to be a much higher proportion of gay men on nudist sites than in the population as a whole and wondered if anyone had an idea as to why, Hetro men join a naturist site in the hope of seeing naked women and not because they are naturists. I imagine its the same with gay men.[/quote]
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EarlD
Oct 22, 2022
[quote]I see plenty of naked women all the time living full time at a nude resort. I think it is highly problematic for any nude resort to begin asking possible visitors any sexual preference questions during their check-in phase. I would never consider visiting a place where that is the case, whether it be offered on the phone when I call to make reservations or through some inappropriate rules of etiquette on their website. Inclusiveness should be the rule, though not only because of the way nudists and naturists are often subjected to discrimination outside of our fences. [/quote] Sadly many who dont have a real life social nude life are simply here to see naked people in photos or on camera based on there sexual orientation. IMO if nudist venue should not ask about sexual orientation neither should a nudist web site. I think it was a fatal design flaw and the beginnings of this site (I was one of the first twenty five members before leaving and returning) because it created confusion by conflating a nude dating site and a nudist site. The creation of the sister site focused on sexual hookups did not do anything to take confusion away since the options for reasons for being here still list a relationship. That along with the sexual categorization option continues the problem.
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ME
Member
Oct 24, 2022
The irony here is as often as you all lose your shit over even the thought of anything sex related creeping up in any way because you want to maintain the separation of nudity to sex, yet here you all are debating the existence of LGBT+ and why sexual orientation should even be included on this website because you CAN'T separate LGBT+ from sex.
Sexual orientation/attraction isn't automatically associated into sex. (Can't wait for the first genius to say BLARG THE WORD SEX IS THERE). Like I said before, we struggle enough as it is for visibility, and it's easier for us to find like-minded individuals within our own community than to roll the dice and hope the person in front of us doesn't start spouting their obsolete world views.
While its no guarantee I won't run in to problematic LGBT+ people, the chances are significantly lower. I can talk about new recipies my husband found on the internet without the person in front of me freaking out because a cisman just said "his husband". Sexual orientation isn't just about sex. It's about the people we choose to love (or not love). It's about experiences as a couple. It's about all the things hetero people take for granted because your existence to be you isn't challenged. FFS, this thread exists. It shouldn't, but here we are. Lawd have mercy if there's too many of us on a web site, because now that merits discussion?
And you want to just erase us further by questioning why its even an option on this site?
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