Fair play

Sunday was the main reason many of us were in San Francisco last weekend — the Up Your Alley street fair held at Dore Alley and parts of Folsom Street. The day looked to be a cold one, but after the fog burned off, anyone out in the sun for long was plenty warm. I arrived around noon and hadn't been in the fair grounds long when I took off my pants and shirt, leaving only my harness and boots. This was probably the fifth or sixth time I had been naked at this or the Folsom Street Fair events, and I had come to feel more comfortable naked than I would be clothed. And even when I was clothed, people seemed to recognize me and ask with dismay why I was dressed.

Before long I ran into my nudist friend NudePublic, whom I had met at the bar the night before (see my July 29 entry). Acting on a tip from him, I checked the bag holding my clothes at the coat check room of Powerhouse (which lay within the fair grounds). I returned to the street and began to make my way through the crowd up Dore Alley.

Except for a dance area and live band at one end of the fair on Folsom, the event mainly consisted of a series of booths. Unfortunately (with the exception of a whipping demonstration), there was nothing particularly interesting about any of these, the bulk of them consisting of food and beer vendors or information centers for non-profit organizations.

But the crowd is always what makes these events appealing. I strolled through the growing throng to the end of Dore Alley and back, stopping to say hi to people I'd met in years past or at the bar the night before.

The day consisted of some decided friskiness on my part as well as a bite to eat from one of the booths. Later I ran into my friend Andy, with whom I spent much of the rest of the day. He had his best camera with him and enjoyed photographing me.

Although the fair had for me a certain "been there, done that" quality, it was a very good day, and I reveled in dreamy satisfaction during my cab ride back home.

Undershopping

If it's underwear you want, Injeanious in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood fills the bill nicely. They have jeans and other clothing items, too, but the selection of designer (and sexy) undies is exceptional.

Naturally I took the opportunity to try on and purchase several. And of course, being something of an exhibitionist, I left the curtain to my changing room wide open. It was in the back corner of the store, which wasn't very busy. But a few interested customers and some very helpful sales staff took note. My only regret is that my friend Andy (a talented photographer who is also visiting San Francisco) wasn't there to document it. So I have to settle for these less-than ideal photos taken by others.

I debated whether to make this post friends-only but since there is no full frontal nudity, I decided to grin and bare it. But there will probably be some friends-only posts from this weekend's adventures. At least I hope so!

Shirtless in Seattle

We're having a warm spell in Seattle, so that means less clothing! Yay! As noted in previous posts, I have walked home shirtless in the warm afternoon in the recent past. But this week was the first time I could walk all the way from home to the office in the morning without a shirt. I also chose to ride the elevator shirtless both to and from work on a couple of occasions. I did this to challenge my own shyness and to raise awareness of the shirtless lifestyle. True, many people will see me shirtless on the elevator and simply conclude that I have no class. But if they see it often enough, people will become desensitized and get over their prejudices. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. Naive? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.

Shirtless liberation in Chicago

Top: Shirtless in Chicago's Palmer House Hilton.

Below: IML takes over the hotel.

This is our first full day of our Chicago vacation, where we will mostly be attending International Mr. Leather contest (IML) and its many activities. Vacations often bring out my exhibitionist tendencies and I suggested we strike a blow for "shirtless liberation" by going shirtless every time we rode the elevator or walked through the lobby of the Palmer House Hilton hotel. Though not really his thing, my bf isn't shy and agreed.

We only got as far as the hotel mezzanine, when some leatherman, sitting at a table apparently staffed with a welcoming committee, suggested we were underdressed. "They may ask you to wear your shirts since it's before 10 p.m.," he told us. WTF!? We can't be shirtless before 10 p.m.? What kind of insane request is that?

It's all the more ridiculous when you consider that the entire hotel is being reserved by leathermen for IML. In fact, as we later learned from the sign in the photo, the hotel is closed to the general public until Tuesday. Was he unaware of this fact?

Perhaps. IML activities didn't officially start until later that day. Still, his suggestion was outrageous. There is nothing shameful about the human body and we were only stripped to the waist. I have walked half naked through the Salt Lake City Public Library without anyone raising the slightest objection (although a few did give me dirty looks). This guy had clearly bought into societal body oppression and was now oppressing himself and others (or trying to). We ignored him.

It was a sad moment, but all the more reason men (and women!) who like to go shirtless need to do so more often in order desensitize people to the sight of skin and gradually change societal norms.

Later at the IML opening ceremonies, we got the official scoop: Due to city ordinance, partipants were asked to keep their butts covered during daylight hours. No mention of shirtlessness whatsoever. This is still not the ideal a naturist like me would like to see, but is definitely a much more rational request, given current laws.

I have written on the topic of shirtless liberation before (and will again), but rather than make you dig through my journal to find it, I will simply provide again to a good link on the subject of the shirtless lifestyle: Shirtless Men World.

Gays and Nudism

My LiveJournal friend Tim1965 has brought to our attention a recent article on recent trends in nudism in America, a topic dear to my heart. He then adds some thoughtful comments of his own on gay nudism, which you can read on his blog. Tim also included this portrait of Andrew Martinez, one of my personal heroes, who gained national attention in the 1980s for attending school and walking around the Berkeley campus completely naked.

Surprisingly, Tim1965 omits mention of any of the gay nudist organizations, so here is a link to Gay Naturists International, for good measure. And of course, if you're looking for a gay nudist organization in your part of the world, there's no better directory than Spike's Naked Planet.

The pope on nakedness and modesty

Just in time for a follow-up to my last post, I ran across this quote from the Pope on the subject of nakedness, half-nakedness, and modesty. I generally have little interest in what the Pontiff says (I'm neither a Catholic or a believer in most religion), but for once he makes a sensible point:

"Sexual modesty cannot then in any simple way be identified with the use of clothing, nor shamelessness with the absence of clothing and total or partial nakedness. There are circumstances in which total nakedness is not immodest... nakedness as such is not to be equated with physical shamelessness. Immodesty is only present when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person... The human body is not in itself shameful, nor for the same reasons are sensual reactions, and human sensuality in general. Shamelessness (just like shame and modesty) is a function of the interior of the individual." - Pope John Paul II (*) (*) Wojtyla, Karol (Pope John Paul II) (August 1994) Love and Responsibility Ignatius Press (ISBN 0-89870-4456)

This was posted in the Beeper (body pride ride) Yahoo group, an organization that raises body issue awareness through its public naked bike rides.

Half-naked natterings

On warm days I take off my shirt in the office when I first arrive. This lets me cool down a little from my morning walk before changing into a fresh shirt. I'm the only one here this early so no one is the wiser.

Except, that is, for the ladies in the building behind me who sometimes look out their window toward mine.

If you think i enjoy the danger of being caught, you're wrong. I wish everyone was comfortable with the half-naked body — or even the fully naked body. But in the workplace we hide in our clothes. For now.

First shirtless walk home

It's still May in Seattle and that often means chilly weather. But today was beautifully sunny and I took my first half-naked pedestrian commute home! I am looking forward to many more so come.

Shirtless liberation

My friends know I have long advocated freedom from the tyranny of required clothing. This isn't just a call for more nude beaches and a less prudish culture (though those would be nice), but body acceptance at every level. One of the most basic is just being unclothed from the waist up. As the weather warms up, I will be a personal exponent of shirtlessness as I walk to and from work. It's sad that so far only men can do this.

Recently I have been stripping to the waist for my first few minutes in my office. My body gets warm from the walk and I need to cool down. Besides, I'm always the first one to arrive, so nobody notices. Except the ladies in the neighboring building who see me through the window, that is. But so far they haven't complained.

But rather than expound on shirtless freedom myself, I'll simply direct readers to a Web site that explains and advocates the shirtless lifestyle: Shirtless Men World.

You have nothing to lose but your shame!