A Tofino resident is laying bare her desire to see the community adopt a nude beach.
鈥淲e鈥檝e become a major tourist destination and a nude beach is inclusive and allows people to be free while they鈥檙e on vacation and it allows people who are local to feel that they can gear down comfortably without such a moral compass on their bodies,鈥� Rachel Sutton told the Westerly News.
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鈥淭he ethos of Tofino and Ucluelet and the West Coast is fairly irreverent and we are a population who value uniqueness and doing things in a creative and spontaneous manner鈥hey may enjoy a surf and then walk around naked and just be free.鈥�
People of all genders are permitted to be topless in B.C., but full nudity is illegal on public lands. However, the province does offer an assortment of nude beaches. NaturistDirectory.com, a website that promotes destinations to travellers looking for clothing-optional opportunities, lists Vancouver鈥檚 Wreck Beach, Nelson鈥檚 Red Sands Beach, Hornby Island鈥檚 Little Tribune Bay and Crescent Rock鈥檚 Naturalist Beach as its top four B.C. beaches.
Sutton said Tofino is an accepting and inclusive area and is 鈥渃ertainly鈥� the type of community that could embrace a nude beach.
鈥淲e have a fresh migration of people to this area in the last three to five years who are forward thinking,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think also, universally, we鈥檙e seeing some more archaic viewpoints go the way of the charming antiquity and we are stepping forward in a resurgence of the kind of energy we saw in the 鈥�70s.
鈥淲e鈥檙e facing worldwide wars, we鈥檙e facing famines and droughts, we鈥檙e facing bigger issues to do with gun control and questionable politicking in our country as well as our neighbours to the south and this is an irreverent, light spark of joy that could be a pleasant dinner conversation.鈥�
She said promoting body positivity is important and a nude beach could add to Tofino鈥檚 allure to visitors.
鈥淚 love the idea that we could just gear down and not have to feel a lot of shame, blame or guilt about our bodies. We could just say, 鈥榃ell this is how I arrived.鈥� We all came into the world naked and why should we feel ashamed?鈥�
Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne told the Westerly News she is not opposed to the idea, but said it would likely be more of an informal agreement than an official designation.
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鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any moral objections to the idea. I just think it鈥檚 something that needs to be discussed well with the community and if something was going to go in that direction, be it formal or informal, that everyone is respected for their feelings.鈥�
andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca
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