I really enjoy going nude.  There, I said it as bluntly as I can, so that nobody has to ask if I really meant what my profile seems to say.

Of course, then the question is, why?

Mainly, it's comfortable.  Oh, if it got cold I might get at least partly dressed, but more likely, I'd turn up the heat a little or toss an eiderdown around my shoulders.

It also has a very intimate feel when you're relaxing with friends ... casually chatting about whatever comes to mind, an atmosphere of trust and confidence.

For those of us who want to be a little more conscious of the environment, nudity has some obvious advantages.  For example, less laundry, which means less electricity and water used, and less detergent going into our lakes and streams.  For that matter, less damage to the environment from making the clothes in the first place!

I've sometimes thought that, in addition to banning watering lawns and washing cars during droughts, cities should encourage nudity at those times.

Sometimes I get questions about the erotic side of nudism - I enjoy that in the right company, but at a regular nude beach, or when posing for an art class, it isn't actually an issue.  If you can get used to pretty women in bikinis, you can (and do) get used to them nude.

By the way, there's nothing shameful in posing nude for artists, any more than there is in being the artist who does a good drawing of a nude model.  If we can respect the artist, we can respect the model.

One of the weakest arguments that I've heard is that someone believes that nudity is offensive.  Ignoring the question of how long it would be offensive if it were seen every day, I don't understand the relevance of it.  Being offended is not the same as being harmed.

There are lots of things that offend me.  T-shirts, bumper stickers, some television shows and movies.  Some of them I can avoid, some I can't.  But I'm not actually being harmed, and I don't have the right to order someone to cover up a bumper sticker just because I find it disgusting.

"But I don't want to go nude at the beach!"  Uh, nobody's saying that you'd be forced to go nude, any more than you're currently forced to wear a skimpy (but legal) swimsuit now.

Stores can set dress codes, just as they do now (requiring shirts for men, for instance), and nobody has to allow a nude visitor into their home, just as you can already tell someone wearing an offensive T-shirt that you won't let them in.

I'd like to get comments about this - but I expect them to be polite, even if they disagree.  No namecalling, no insults, and always respect the opinions of others.  I may add or revise parts of this note, if I get comments that I get seem to make it a good idea.

Looking forward to your comments, pro and con!

Steve