Body Freedom Collaborative
Encyclopedia
The organization was founded by Shirley Gauthier (a GAT chair of The American Association for Nude Recreation
American Association for Nude Recreation
The American Association for Nude Recreation is a nudist organization in the United States. Founded in 1931, the organization advocates nudity and nude recreation in appropriate settings. The AANR charters approximately 259 independent U.S. nudist resorts and parks...
(AANR)), Daniel Johnson
Daniel Lorenz Johnson
Daniel Lorenz Johnson is an American permaculturist, artist, activist, community organizer and writer who has worked for the advancement of various progressive/social liberalist causes through interdisciplinary, collaborative projects involving grassroots politics, media art and popular culture...
and Mark Storey
Mark Storey
Mark Storey is a board member of the Naturist Action Committee and has testified at anti-nudity legislation hearings all over the United States....
(editor-at-large for Nude & Natural
Nude & Natural
Nude & Natural: The Magazine Of Naturist Living or simply Magazine is a quarterly 100+ page naturist magazine published by The Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and distributed throughout the United States and internationally...
magazine (a publication of The Naturist Society
The Naturist Society
The Naturist Society is a national naturist organization based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. It publishes a quarterly periodical called Nude & Natural which documents and coordinates naturist activities and provides information about issues related to naturism. The Naturist Society was established...
and board member of The Naturist Action Committee
Naturist Action Committee
The Naturist Action Committee is a nine-member volunteer committee that functions as the political adjunct to The Naturist Society , based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin...
(NAC)).
BFC focuses on collaborative projects relating to clothing-optional activities on public lands
Public nudity
Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
including: The Free Beach Trilogy (FBT), Boobs Walk, World Naked Gardening Day (WNGD), World Naked Bike Ride
World Naked Bike Ride
World Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport , to "deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world."The dress code motto is "Bare as you dare"...
, The Naked Freedom Film Festival (NFFF), Annual Polar Bare Dips, The Experience Nakedness Project (a spoof of the local Experience Music Project
Experience Music Project
The EMP Museum is a museum dedicated to the history and exploration of both popular music and science fiction located in Seattle, Washington...
's name), The Mermaid Swim, the Nude Beaches Yes! campaignhttp://nudebeachesyes.org and The Seattle Free Beach Campaign (SFBC). The group also did nude modeling in Fremont for the Fremont Fresh Art Festival. Their focus on local beach campaigns, according to their website, are meant to signal their "commitment to bringing clothing-free opportunities on public lands closer to the people of the cities."
The group is known for doing spontaneous nude photo shoots around the city and their talk of in-the-buff neighborhood graffiti cleanups garnered some early press and media coverage. Some believe these tactics change the boundaries for acceptable public nudity
Public nudity
Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
. This is in contrast to the more defensive tactics some mainstream naturist/nudist groups have followed over the past two decades.
Controversy
Some have viewed Daniel Johnson's involvement in the organization as a liability due to his sometimes brash statements. Shortly after the incorporation of BFC Daniel attracted a great deal of criticism from the nudist (and naturist) community for his comment published in the Oregon Daily EmeraldOregon Daily Emerald
The Oregon Daily Emerald is an independent daily newspaper published at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The paper, which has been published for more than 100 years, has trained many now-prominent writers and journalists and has made important contributions to journalism...
concerning nudist clubs and the American Association for Nude Recreation
American Association for Nude Recreation
The American Association for Nude Recreation is a nudist organization in the United States. Founded in 1931, the organization advocates nudity and nude recreation in appropriate settings. The AANR charters approximately 259 independent U.S. nudist resorts and parks...
's (AANR) focus of clothing-free expression in clubs. He said "Not everybody wants to sit on their ass around a club or other mostly sedentary activities for fun". He added "AANR will try to put a positive spin on its pathetic numbers. The only reason there are so many AANR members is because they are forced to join when they pay their local club dues." The comments drew a lot of fire from naturists and nudists alike and at the time, jeopardized some support for its collaborative projects.
Soon after, Shirley Gauthier resigned from the BFC board. Shirley continued with public lands
Public nudity
Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
advocacy with her work at Rooster Rock
Rooster Rock
Rooster Rock State Park is a state park located east of Corbett, in the U.S. state of Oregon. One of the features of the park is Rooster Rock, a column of basalt forming a natural obelisk, which stands near the south side of the Columbia River Gorge, in the lee of Crown Point...
State Park and Collins Beach at Sauvie Island
Sauvie Island
Sauvie Island, in the U.S. state of Oregon, originally Wapato Island or Wappatoo Island, is the largest island along the Columbia River, at 26,000 acres , and the largest river island in the United States...
in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
The organization has also drawn fire for activities some have deemed, as "making waves". This is mainly due to its focus on public lands
Public nudity
Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
projects, such as advocating for the creation of clothing-optional beaches in the state of Washington. Daniel's decision to have Seattle's first World Naked Bike Ride
World Naked Bike Ride
World Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together en masse on human-powered transport , to "deliver a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world."The dress code motto is "Bare as you dare"...
event at stop at the Seattle Center
Seattle Center
Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:...
's International Fountain (under the shadow of the Space Needle
Space Needle
The Space Needle is a tower in Seattle, Washington and is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and a symbol of Seattle. Located at the Seattle Center, it was built for the 1962 World's Fair, during which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators, with over...
) on June 12, 2004 was also deemed to be unnecessarily risky. However, the stop eventually became symbolic of the ride's success and ranks as many riders' favorite stop.
See also
- BohemianismBohemianismBohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
- Clothes free organizations
- CountercultureCountercultureCounterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
- Culture jammingCulture jammingCulture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...
and Direct actionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
and Flash mobFlash mobA flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment, satire, artistic expression...
and Smart mobSmart mobA smart mob is a group that, contrary to the usual connotations of a mob, behaves intelligently or efficiently because of its exponentially increasing network links. This network enables people to connect to information and others, allowing a form of social coordination. Parallels are made to,... - NudityNudityNudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
and Nude beachNude beachA nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the... - NaturismNaturismNaturism or nudism is a cultural and political movement practising, advocating and defending social nudity in private and in public. It may also refer to a lifestyle based on personal, family and/or social nudism....
and Nudism - Public nudityPublic nudityPublic nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
Articles
- Nude & NaturalNude & NaturalNude & Natural: The Magazine Of Naturist Living or simply Magazine is a quarterly 100+ page naturist magazine published by The Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and distributed throughout the United States and internationally...
Takin' It to the Streets: The Cutting Edge of Naturism by Mark StoreyMark StoreyMark Storey is a board member of the Naturist Action Committee and has testified at anti-nudity legislation hearings all over the United States....
, 23.4: 73, Summer 2004. Mark claims "The future of naturism is on public lands. To gain naturist freedoms on public lands will require getting naked in public". - Nude & NaturalNude & NaturalNude & Natural: The Magazine Of Naturist Living or simply Magazine is a quarterly 100+ page naturist magazine published by The Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and distributed throughout the United States and internationally...
The Offense of Public Nudity by Mark Storey - Nude & NaturalNude & NaturalNude & Natural: The Magazine Of Naturist Living or simply Magazine is a quarterly 100+ page naturist magazine published by The Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and distributed throughout the United States and internationally...
Naturism and Civil Disobedience by Mark Storey - Nude & NaturalNude & NaturalNude & Natural: The Magazine Of Naturist Living or simply Magazine is a quarterly 100+ page naturist magazine published by The Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and distributed throughout the United States and internationally...
The Bethell Approach: A Protest Colloquy/The Bethell Approach: Is the Time for Mass Nude Protests Upon Us? 21.2 Winter 2002. Includes statements by Vincent Bethell, Mark Nisbet, Cec Cinder, Paul RapoportPaul RapoportPaul Israel Rapoport , an attorney, was a co-founder of both the New York City Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Services Center and Gay Men's Health Crisis...
, Les Rootsey, Morley Shloss, T.A. Wyner, and Mark Storey. - Nude & NaturalNude & NaturalNude & Natural: The Magazine Of Naturist Living or simply Magazine is a quarterly 100+ page naturist magazine published by The Naturist Society in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and distributed throughout the United States and internationally...
(N), Guerilla Nudity/Wave Makers: Introducting the Body Freedom Collaborative by Mark Storey. Issue 23.1, Autumn 2003.
Press coverage
- Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, Exposed and stark naked -- on purpose: But not all nudists support 'guerrilla' plans for prominent public exposure, by P-I reporter Kathy George, April 7, 2003 http://www.seattlepi.com/local/116207_nude07.shtml. - Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-IntelligencerThe Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
, Trio behind the arts: Three activists put on an eye-opening display yesterday by taking most of their clothes off at the Fremont Fresh Art Festival, by P-I reporter Kathy George, 16 June 2003 Front page of local section, with color picture http://www.seattlepi.com/local/126796_nudies16.html
External links
- BFC Official Site General information and other resources
- Washington State Nudists & Naturists group at flickr.com