FOR  IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Subject: Body-positive groups remember 3/3/33 - The 72nd anniversary of the Nazi anti-nudity Goering Decree
From: Radical Women, The Rainbow Party, The Work Less Party
Date: 3 March 2005

Contact Information:

Radical Women: Christina Lopez - RWseattle@mindspring.com - http://socialism.com/rw/intro.html - (206) 722-6057
Rainbow Party: Daniel Johnson - dj@rainbowparty.us - http://rainbowparty.us
Work Less Party: Conrad Schmidt - ninemonkeys@blaze.ca - http://worklessparty.org - (604) 215-9395

Body-positive individuals and groups around the world today remember the 72nd anniversary of the infamous Goering Decree which became law in Nazi Germany on March 3, 1933 and targeted naked culture. "This freikorperkultur, or FKK, was a sometimes studied, sometimes spontaneous reaction to the excesses of a rapidly industrializing society. Cut off from nature and increasingly urbanized, Germans of the pre-Nazi era responded by embracing life in the great outdoors—sans clothing. To be sure, there was more to it than that. Nudity of the FKK variety was accompanied by a renewed emphasis on fitness and health, and a growing appreciation of the natural world. There were nude hikes and visits to the beach, nude exercise regimens, and an overarching belief that the naked human form should be nurtured and respected, not scorned as coarse and sinful," explains Jim Myer, staff writer of The Naturist Society (TNS). (1) The Goering Decree, aimed at stamping out the flourishing new culture, was infamously instigated by Hermann Wilhelm Goering, who was the second most powerful man in the Nazi Party. It reads:

One of the greatest dangers for German culture and morality is the so-called nudity movement [it read]. Greatly as it is to be welcomed in the interest of the public health, that ever wider circles, especially of the metropolitan population, are striving to make the healing power of sun and air and water serviceable to their body, as greatly must the so-called nudity movement be disapproved of as a cultural error. Among women the nudity kills natural modesty; it takes from men their respect for women, and thereby destroys the prerequisite for any genuine culture. It is therefore expected of all police authorities that, in support of the spiritual powers developed through the national movement, they take all police measures to destroy the so-called nude culture. (2)

In Seattle, local political groups are concerned about the direction of local policy and notes that the Goering edict sounds word-for-word what is being voiced by a small number of nanny citizens (3) and lawmakers alike. "Whose values does the City of Seattle favor in their application of WA State law to activities involving harmless nudity? Society loses when lawmakers blur the line between predatory sexual aggression and the philanthropic efforts of local community groups who engage in such benign activities as skinny-dipping, naked cycling, bodypainting and sunbathing," says Rainbow Party Coordinator Daniel Johnson.

"After the City backed off from its threat to arrest naked participants of various artistic ensembles in the 2001 Summer Solstice Parade there was an assumption that the City was beginning to understand distinctions between lewd and non-lewd nudity, between predatory/abusive intentions and body-positive culture. Thus it came as a surprise to many when the City refocused its cultural-meddling from years before in the micromanagement of beach culture, as well-publicized on September 4, 2004 with an inordinately heavy City response to the Naked Beach Rally at Discovery Park," Johnson said.

"It is just unreal that five Seattle Police officers, a Police boat patrol, a Fire Dept. Captain (4), and a Parks and Recreation worker would all come running to respond to something so harmless, and — on thousands of beaches across the world — such a common sight. Is it fair for the state to enable those people who are uneasy with their own bodies to stop others who do not suffer from their body-negative views from enjoying their freedom?" Johnson asks. "Its insulting to have to work so hard, just barely able to make ends meet, pay our taxes, and then have the City turn around, use community money entrusted to be used for real criminal activity, and use it against its own law-abiding citizens. Meddling with our basic social commodities - our leisure time, sense of freedom and community can not be taken lightly. We call it 'Government Gone Wild', Johnson says.

Other local political organizations have joined the call for immediate reform. "The crackdown on the nude activists is further example of the deterioration of our civil liberties," says Radical Women Organizer Christina Lopez. "Radical Women respects the rights of individuals to make decision in their lives, including the decision to sunbath nude. You would think the state had important things to deal with!" Christina said.

"The City should make an effort to meet with community groups and work towards a solution that would bring into account the strong community support for the development of at least one family-friendly, clothing optional beach in Seattle. They have stepped forward to create community space for other park users such as: off-leash areas, boat ramps, tennis courts, skateboard parks, lawn bowling, indoor heated swimming pools, et cetera. Beach users have been shafted by the City. Support for clothing-optional beaches is clearly indicated by the supporters attending local events, positive press coverage, and many local and national polls. (5) What we want is a win-win situation for everybody. The City gets to regain its credibility with regard to respecting and enabling cultural diversity; and the community will have something they can enjoy and pass on to future generations," Johnson adds.

"In a world were we face the potential of nuclear war and global warming, we think its pretty sad that people would be more afraid of a naked body, which is of no real threat to anybody," Work Less Party Founder Conrad Schmidt said. The Work Less and Rainbow Parties have announced their joint coordination of the Seattle 2005 World Naked Bike Ride (WNBR) with local biketivist and artist groups, and others concerned about oil-dependency, walkable and bike-friendly communities, and promoting a body-positive society.

WNBR will again precede the painted cyclists at the Solstice Parade with its Critical Mass-style demonstration on June 11th. The event starts with bodypainting and music at Gas Works Park, rides to the Seattle Center's International Fountain for a splash, and a surprise visit at one of Seattle's premiere swimming beaches to show its support for Seattle-area free beaches and to build up to the Naked Beach Rally being planned for Discovery Park Beach. "This summer," Johnson says, "there will be justice on the streets and... at the beach. If the City continues to follow the draconian, body-negative thinking of the past the shame will continue to be on them, not on us."

ENDS

1. The Naturist Society (TNS), an national organization that grew out of the free-beach movement of the 1970's popularized the motto "body acceptance is the idea; nude recreation is the way." For more info visit http://naturistsociety.com

2. From "The Nudist Idea" by Cec Cinder, Ph.D. Ultraviolet Press, 1998. P. 253.

3. In Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat's piece "Uncovering a pointless complaint" (June 18, 2004) he uncovers why police do what they do with regard to the issue of public nudity. He writes: "Are the cops selectively enforcing the law? No, they say. Being nude in public is not a crime unless someone is offended enough to complain, says Kathryn Harper of the City Attorney's Office... Why people do this [go naked], I have no idea. But who cares? Most children I know — such as my own — wouldn't be traumatized by a streaker. They'd dismiss them — or they'd want to strip naked themselves... We hear so much about the government imposing a nanny state. This time we're counting on government to save us from nanny citizens." Danny Westneat can be reached at (206) 464-2086 or dwestneat@seattletimes.com

4. City of Seattle Police action at the Naked Beach Rally happened after receiving a complaint from off-duty Capt. Randy Hansen, of the Seattle Fire Department, who attended the event with an intention of claiming offense. Hansen indicated his vacation plans with his family were thwarted for the day due to the peaceful rally, which only took up a small fraction of the extensive beach. Mr. Hansen was last in the public spotlight in 1997 as a result of creating the "White Anglo Saxon European American Male Firefighters Association", an idea intended to parody other racial groups within the fire department, which landed him in hot water with the City's other racial groups.

5. Seattle Free Beach Campaign (SFBC) was established as a means "to generate interest in and an understanding of clothing-optional beaches in the Greater Seattle area." Despite the arrest of one of the naked participants at the last beach Rally in September there is a great deal of optimism and excitement about the fast-growing coordination between various groups working towards the development of clothing-optional beaches in the Greater Seattle-Area. More info about the campaign, including polls indicating support can be found at http://seattlebeaches.org

6. For more information about World Naked Bike Ride — a grassroots, body-positive, biketivist event celebrated all over the world — visit http://worldnakedbikeride.org

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