02/2006 - The Blacks Beach Bares have informed us that local park rangers there have posted a new sign stating “Nudity in the State Park System is Prohibited” and placed it a couple hundred feet further down the beach than the customary boundary has been for the last several years. The reason stated is complaints about lewd acts on the fringes of the nude beach area. So once again everyone is reminded that if you see inappropriate behavior on a beach you need to take action and get the offender to stop, otherwise the opposition will not hesitate to use it as an excuse to further erode locations where we can peacefully practice our lifestyle.
The Bares said they have an appointment to speak to the rangers about the sign soon. They also said if you receive a ticket while in Black’s Beach, the Bares want you to contact them (info@blacksbeach.org) to find legal counsel because if you simply plead guilty you may be labeled a sex offender.
BLACK’S BEACH NEW "NUDITY PROHIBITED" SIGN
NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN
08/14/2006 - Two new signposts appeared at the boundaries of Black’s Beach on August 4; they state ominously: "NUDITY IN THE STATE PARK SYSTEM IS PROHIBITED."
Lloyd Johnson of Black's Beach Bares explains that each of the new anti-nudity signs improperly states the protocol used for decades by California Parks to manage nude recreation in state parks. Russell W. Cahill, who was Director of California’s Department of Parks and Recreation in the late 1970s, issued a memorandum in 1979 that established a process for allowing clothing-optional recreation in traditional areas. Cahill observed that naturist activity "seems to be a victimless crime at worst, and certainly an innocuous activity." The memorandum became known as the Cahill Policy.
These new anti-nudity signs make no mention of this accommodation for nudity. Of the wording of the sign, Lloyd Johnson said recently, "It implies a stronger position than the Cahill Policy allows, and it encourages user conflict." The fear is un-informed users will see the “Nudity is Illegal” sign and feel obligated to call the park rangers when they see the nude people nearby. The Cahill Policy allows nudity to be suspended when a complaint is made, even in a traditional clothing-optional area, so obviously we don’t want complaints called in. Some suspect a sinister plot afoot to use this as a way to curtail nudity at Black’s, but the Superintendent in charge of the beach claims he has no knowledge of the signs. So to repeat:
THE CLOTHING-OPTIONAL STATUS OF BLACK'S BEACH HAS NOT CHANGED.
Despite the posting of the signs, no specific operational differences have been observed by naturists at the beach. However, the probability of user conflict is significant, In conjunction with Black's Beach Bares, the Naturist Action Committee is continuing its intensive dialog on this matter with California Parks officials at several levels. We seek the removal of these anti-nudity signs and to replace them with signage allowing users to know that an area of traditional clothing-optional use lies ahead.
