Evolution of A Nudist

Even though we are all born clothes-free, naked, the majority of us soon after birth are swaddled in clothing and then taught that's the way we should remain for the rest of our lives.

At least, that's the way the "powers-that-be" (parents, clergy, society in general) would like for us to believe. However, inside almost all of us, a natural urge to be bare in our skin, nude, lingers long after birth. 

This inner struggle between our natural urge and our learned behavior (to stay covered in clothing) often leads to a conflict within ourselves. 

For some of us, our natural urge to be bare, clothes-free, triumphs and we soon find ourselves enjoying the freedom of being naked, freedom from clothing, freedom from being concealed - we're finally able to escape from the "closet of clothes!"

We once again are bare and in harmony with nature. We're as free as the moment that we were born!

We return to our natural state of being and relish the liberation of being bare, nude, naked and we start to begin to enjoy living - the way that it was truly intended.

And we at last discover the happiness of our new-found freedom of living bare with pride!

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

Obey All Signage!

Do NOT cross that imaginary line!

And especially when you need to strip for the one above!

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

Do Something Naked Today: November 1, 2016

Do Something Naked Today!

November 1, 2016

Get the new month of to a rousing beginning by removing all your clothes and inviting others to join you in doing the same. Nothing helps to cement a new friendship more than sharing a little skin and showing others that you have nothing to hide! 

Share a bare hug today! If there's no partner or room-mate available, contact a friend, invite him to come over, greet him at the door clothes-free and give him a naked hug. It doesn't cost anything and who knows, you might just have gained a new, nude buddy to hang out with. This element of surprise is what helps to keep friendships both exciting and spontaneous. 

After I received my baccalaureate degree from university, my first job in education found me working with an entire faculty who were unfamiliar to me as I was to them. One of the other male teachers I suspected was gay but we never had a chance to discuss our personal lives. Then one day he invited me to his apartment under the excuse to show me his winter holiday tree and other decorations. When we arrived, he excused himself, went into his bedroom and when he emerged several minutes later, he was completely nude and explained that he just wanted to give me a naked hug!

I was totally flabbergasted! I was also impressed with his nudity as he had a few well-endowed features of his anatomy! He delivered his bare hug to me and then it was my turn to give him a surprise as I began to strip off my clothes and join him in being casual, relaxed and clothes-free in his home! 

He made the remark that I didn't seem at all shy about my bare body and was comfortable with nudity. I then explained to him that as a gay nudist man, I was totally at ease with the situation. He then let me know that he wasn't a nudist, per se, but that he thought I might be gay and he figured that by getting naked he could discover whether I was also. 

We remained friends for the rest of the scholastic year and the following summer. He did join me several times for skinny-dipping outings but otherwise had no reason to explore the nudist life. I think he was disappointed that I wasn't interested in dating/having sex with him. Even in my early twenties I knew better than to just pretend affection when in reality it wasn't sincere. 

We all know that nudity is much more than than just having sex. Regardless of our sexuality, we are all bare for a variety of different reasons. Probably the most important being is that we are at our most comfortable and relaxed when we are clothes-free. So invite a friend over, show him how much you value his friendship by welcoming him into your home with a warm, sincere bare bear-hug!

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

Naturist or Nudist? Part II

Author's Note: For background information, please refer to Naturist or Nudist? Part I published here last Sunday, August 28, 2016. Click the title to link directly to that post. The images accompanying the earlier post were of a man alone in a forest, suggesting a naturist. The pictures here are of an urban dude, suggesting a nudist. Please understand that not all urban dwellers who prefer to be bare are nudists and not all rural dwellers who prefer to be bare are naturists.  

In Naturist or Nudist, Part I, we explored some of the distinguishing characteristics between the labels, naturist and nudist. What, at least, philosophically, differentiates one from the other. Here, in Naturist or Nudist, Part II, we'll examine some of the shared characteristics that often cause confusion between the two labels. 

The obvious similarity or common trait for naturists and nudists is their appreciation, acknowledgement, embracing preference for living their lives as bare (nude or clothes-free) as possible. If either community had their way, most would opt for living naked all the time, the only exception being when clothes are absolutely necessary (such as winter) for comfort and health. This commonality conveniently affords both communities with a cross-over of audiences for social and political purposes. 

Both the naturist culture and the nudist community encourage and support gatherings of like-minded individuals for shared clothes-free experiences within their respective culture and community. These experiences help to establish bonds and to foster group cohesiveness. In for the naturists, this is referred to as communal nudity. The nudists refer to this as social nudity.    

In recent years, as the differences between naturist and nudist have become blurred in the minds of many, there has been some effort by organizations on both sides of the spectrum to seek a concrete solidarity on both the labels and the philosophies. The general consensus is that both naturists and nudists wholeheartedly support the concept or ideal of body freedom. Each person has the right to present their body as they believe best them, be it clothed or clothes-free. 

Along the same lines, this tenet of body freedom also allows people to determine which label best determines their self-identification.   

Along the same lines, this tenet of body freedom allows people self-determination as to which label, naturist or nudist, best expresses their self-identification. All of this is both well and good but it doesn't resolve the issues of which is "better," a naturist or a nudist die-hards from both sides of the fence argue. So the Great Clothes-free Debate continues. 

As for myself, I self-identify as a same gender loving bare man who is also Deaf. That best describes who and what I am. 

Here on this site, Guys Without Boxers: Bare With Pride, in the interest of correctness, I'll continue to use both naturist and nudist as adjectives to denote the absence of clothing. Additionally, I'll employ the use of bare and clothes-free to mean the same to avoid being redundant. In my mind, all the above have the same meaning, anyway. As long as all the items of covering are all off, then life is once again good! 

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

Naturist or Nudist? Part I

Naturist? Nudist? What's the difference? I'm often asked. As far as I'm concerned, there is no major difference between the two and I suppose it is individual preference over which label (name/term) to use. When posting on Guys Without Boxers: Bare With Pride, most of the time I employ the two interchangeably in an effort to be as inclusive as possible. After all, we naturists/nudists  are discriminated against enough as it is without me being offensive on a nudecentric site.

However, I am by no means an authority on naturism or nudism, I'm merely a practitioner on living bare or clothes-free, socially. I imagine that there are purists who choose to self-identify as one or the other for a reason. In an effort to be as respectful as possible, I hope this posting here helps to clarify and to distinguish the differences between the two and to raise awareness of the diversity of all of those who appreciate, embrace and support the philosophy of living bare (without clothing). 

Wikipedia defines naturism as a way of life in harmony with nature characterized by the practice of communal nudity with the intention of encouraging self-respect, respect for others and the environment. Nudism is defined as the belief or practice of going nude (without clothing or covering) especially in secluded, sexually mixed groups for reasons of health. 

At face value, apparently, very similar definitions with almost identical outcomes: the freedom to live without the burden of having to wear clothing. But once you consider the descriptions independently of one another, it is soon obvious that there are some discrepancies and what initially appeared to be minor variances aren't quite as simple as the original thought. 

By definition, nudism is a belief and/or practice. Naturism is a way of life. True, both results are the same, body freedom and clothes-freedom, but the essential elements differ. The nudist, through nudism, is the act of living nude, naked or without clothing. The naturist, through naturism, is a philosophical lifestyle. Both are conscious choices based on comfort (living bare) but for a variety of reasons. A nudist may be naked because he/she feels more relaxed without clothes. A naturist may be naked because he/she feels closer to nature and the natural world without clothes. 

For example, whereas a naturist subscribes to the philosophy of living in harmony with our natural world and being a practitioner of environmentally-conscious efforts the same is not true for nudists. A nudist may or may not practice environmental conservation. He/she could litter profusely and may be completely ambivalent regarding "green" concerns or issues. Both may embrace the idea of living clothes-free but for differing reasons. 

More than likely, a naturist is idealogically inclined to be of a similar mindset and worldview with other naturists more so than their nudist counterpart. Naturists are more culturally in-tune with each other than nudists. As a group, nudists are more diverse and aside from their preference of living clothes-free may not share any other common denominator.  

Naturists are more inclined to a sense of community than are nudists. Both groups recognize their affinity with each other through their preference for nudity instead of clothing. However, beyond that unique bond, the unity dissolves. Naturists, because of their shared lifestyle and philosophy towards the environment are connected to one another in other ways. Nudists, on the other hand, are connected to each other through a bond of nudity and often little else. There is a lack of kindred spirit or camaraderie beyond the desire to be naked. 

Nudists are more prone to homophobia than naturists. Naturists, as a group, have more of a live-and-let-live worldview and are usually more tolerant of others. Nudists, on the other hand, are a broader community and more diverse than naturists. They generally range in the socio-political spectrum from one extreme to the other and include more of a xenophobic outlook. Extremists from either persuasion tend to favor the nudist camp as opposed to the naturist community. Of course, not all nudists are homophobic just as not all naturists are inclusive. 

     

Continued with Naturist or Nudist, Part II on Sunday, September 4, 2016.

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

Visit My Adult Blog (NSFW)

This year (2016), I began publishing an adult (NSFW) blog dealing almost exclusively with posts regarding same gender loving (gay) sex and sexuality. The name of this site is ReNude Pride. To visit the blog, click on the title and you will be linked to it. 

I generally post on ReNude Pride every Sunday. I'm experimenting with some different formats but the weekly post schedule seems to work best for me. It doesn't conflict with my plans for  Guys Without Boxers: Bare With Pride. Please feel free to comment on any of the posts there by accessing the "comment" icon below each individual post entry. To contact me on any issues about ReNude Pride, please email me at: renudepride@gmail.com.

The content of ReNude Pride is sexually explicit and the majority of the featured images are of a sexually graphic. The focus and targeted population is completely of interest to the same gender loving male community. 

Guys Without Boxers: Bare With Pride continues to promote and provide resources and information for the same gender loving male naturist/nudist community. 

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

First Wedding Anniversary!

One year ago today, on Saturday, August 15, 2015, Aaron and I were legally married in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our wedding had been planned almost six months in advance and once we made the decision, it seemed to be both the longest and the shortest six months in our lives. 

We'd lived together for almost five years. Aaron had met all of my family and I, his. This all had taken place long before we decided to "jump the broom," "tie the knot" and become husband and husband. We met for the first time in June, 2010, at a same gender loving nudist social (no surprise there). It wasn't "love at first sight" but it was a close second. Our first date was the day after we met. The morning after our first date we were both aware that we were indeed "smitten."  

Virginia had passed a constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to one man and one woman in 2006. Since then, legal challenges filed by state equality advocates and organizations wound through the court systems. Finally, on October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the amendment unconstitutional thus allowing same gender marriages to take place. Once that verdict was announced, Aaron's parents and mine began a campaign to encourage us to legalize our relationship. 

Unknown to both sets of our parents was that Aaron and I had already discussed the issue of marriage even before the U. S. Supreme Court had rendered their decision and we had agreed to get married in 2015. We had shared this secret with only my brother, Twin, and with Aaron's oldest brother. They both had promised to keep our confidence.  

To this day, we've not told our parents that we planning our wedding even before they began their aggressive nuptial campaign. We both feel that there's nothing wrong with letting them think that they brought us together. We're not lying to them and really, there's no harm in allowing them to believe that they've done a good thing. Plus, they're the only parents we'll ever have so as long as they're happy, we're happy. 

Aaron and I were married in a civil ceremony conducted by a court official and held our wedding reception in the community center facility in our condominium complex. We left on our honeymoon several weeks later. Amazingly, it doesn't seem like it has already been a full year since we promised our vows. 

We froze the top tier of our wedding cake to eat on our first anniversary. Last night, before going to bed, we took it out of the freezer to thaw. Sharing our cake tonight will make this celebration official. 

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride

Author's Note: the photos accompanying this posting are not of Aaron and myself. They were selected because they depict a bi-racial couple, which is exactly what we truly are. Aaron is African-American and I am Greek.