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“I’m not so sure about the politics and racism arguments here. I think this issue is based in our fears of the bogeyman, rapist, peeping tom. I think that many women are fearful of being vulnerable while their pants are down (or skirts are up). They feel that the loo is their ‘safe haven’ from men. They can talk freely, fix their make-up/hair without being on guard. Having a ‘man’ in the loo with them is threatening regardless of ‘his’ identity. Similarly, men feel no such threat, indeed, are tittilated at the thought of a ‘woman’ in their bathroom. We don’t talk much, we get our work done, and we get out. No socializing.

Nudists understand that clothes are an artifice. We can say, “Well, in Europe it is this way…” But Europe is not North America. We need to protect our children from the ‘bad man’. Just look at the trouble the Virginia parents got into for letting their kids walk home from school. Naturists are still parents, and many still want to protect them while they are in the ‘textile world’. Inside the walls or fences of the naturist environs, we can be who we are, but the minute we leave….”

— Tim

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“At Valley View Hot Springs in Colorado–very much a naturist venue–all the bathrooms are mixed gender with private toilet stalls and more-or-less public urinals for men. None of the regulars give it a second thought. We do indeed wonder what all the fuss is about. After all, most public restrooms have all-private stalls anyway!”

— jochanaan1

Turning the Page is an opinion blog focusing mostly on LGBTQ issues. The author is not paid for these posts.