Naked hiking takes divergent trails in Switzerland and Germany

As the case of nude hiking in Switzerland nears its ultimate hearing in that country's supreme court, many media sources are taking a look at naked hiking in Germany, which opened an 11-mile nudist hiking trail just over a year ago.

The Swiss case involves an unnamed hiker who was fined for a naked walk in the eastern Swiss canton of Appenzell, which had banned nude hiking there the previous year. Locals complain that the man appeared nude in full view of a communal barbecue area as well as by residents of a Christian care home. According to the UK news outlet The Telegraph, Appenzell is a conservative area with many anti-nudist residents. Nevertheless, Switzerland itself has no national law against public nudity as long as it is not lewd. Many expect the case to end up before the country's highest court.

Meanwhile, naturists in Germany have been enjoying their own sanctioned nudist trail near the town of Dankerode, about 200 miles west of Berlin. The trail has enjoyed considerable popularity among German naturists since it opened on May 29, 2010.

Undoubtedly, more American nudists would be grateful for similarly sanctioned hiking areas and beaches in their own country. But here at Nakedism, we see such provisions as stop-gap measures at best and the ghetto-izing of nudism at worst. Creating separate spaces for nudity only reinforces the idea that it is somehow harmful to see the human body in its natural state. It sets up a "separate but equal" kind of discrimination similar to that used to limit the rights of African Americans before the Civil Rights Act.

How much better it would be for the public at large to get over its fear and instead accept those who don't wish to wear clothes without the kind of panic or derision that so often accompanies the sight of an unclothed human body.

Naked adventurer rescued at sea

An Irishman who had hoped to set a record for being the youngest person to row across the Indian Ocean alone — not to mention completely naked — had to be rescued after a head injury put an end to his recent attempt.

Keith Whelan, age 29, had barely begun what was expected to be a 14-week journey when a large wave struck his craft, throwing him across the boat's cabin and slamming his head into a bolt that left a gash on his head. Whelan stopped the bleeding on his own but decided to contact a friend via satellite phone. Australian authorities diverted a nearby Japanese commercial cargo ship to rescue him, where medics treated his injury.

The cargo ship hoisted the young adventurer's boat onboard, but choppy seas at the time resulted in some damage to the vessel, forcing him to abandon the rest of the trip for now.

Despite
harsh conditions,
the young man pledged
to make the entire ocean
trek completely
naked.

A native of Athy in Ireland's Kildare County, Whelan sails nude to avoid wardrobe-damaging encrustations of ocean salt. Consequently, he has embraced the title of "the Naked Adventurer," the name of his blog and Facebook page, which he planned to keep updating on the journey with the help of onboard solar panels. Despite harsh sun and unpredictable storms, the young man had vowed to make the entire trek from Australia to Mauritius stark naked.

The adventure was intended to publicize Whelan's fundraising for the charity Keep a Child Alive, which provides treatment and support to children and families affected by HIV in Africa and India.

Whelan's quest is not without precedent. In 2008, 24-year old Wiltshire student Sam Williams (shown below) rowed solo — and naked — across the Atlantic to raise money for African farmers.

Connecticut drops charges against nude model

The state of Connecticut has declined to press charges against a New York man who was summoned to court for posing nude on a public parking garage. As reported in a May 27 post on Nakedism, 36-year Charles Kearse was approached by police after nearby residents saw him posing nude on a Bridgeport parking garage.

Kearse, who also goes by the name Ahkmel Pharod, was told to appear in court, where he talked to Assistant State's Attorney Craig Nowak.

"I spoke to Mr. Kearse at length," said Nowak in a story reported by CTPost.com. "He showed me his modeling portfolio and at the end of our conversation I determined that his actions, while being an error in judgment, did not rise to the level of criminal activity." (Samples from Kearse's portfolio appear with this story, used with permission.)

As a result, the state did not proceed with the pending charge of second-degree breach of peace.

For his part, Kearse confirmed the story in a comment written to Nakedism, explaining that he had been contacted by the photographer, who paid his travel expenses. "I left court just as fast as I arrived," he noted, adding that the prosecutor "smiled and said have a good weekend."

Kearse also gave Nakedism a copy of an email that purports to show the rooftop nudes was the idea of the photographer, Israel Guibbory. But in news reports, Guibbory claimed to be surprised when Kearse disrobed on the roof.

"I am going to file a Defamation of Character lawsuit against the photographer," Kearse told Nakedism.

One size fits ill

An old joke says that if a guy tells you that "It's not the size that counts, it's how you use it" — then he's got a little one. That may be true, just it may be true that it's important to know how to use one's cock.

But the fact remains that for many people, cock size really does matter.

In my case, it usually matters in a negative sense. As another saying goes, I'm not a size queen, but I can be impressed. Sure, I love the look of a big schlong. But if an otherwise hot guy has a small cock, it makes little difference to me. I'm more interested in how good he is at kissing and sucking, and how his ass feels wrapped around my own cock.

The problem with big cocks only, well, arises when it's attached to someone who wants to fuck me. Some people are into pain. Some people are into challenges. (I've met both.) I'm into neither. I'm just glad that most of my gigantically hung friends are more interested in receiving than giving.

But there was one night when I met a true giant of a man — a veritable Penisaurus Rex. His member made my jaw drop, and not in a good way. And he wanted it in my ass.

I recount all the sordid details in this week's story offering, When Size Really Does Matter, now available in our Stories section. Check it out. And consider sharing your own stories of giant cocks you have known.

Celebrity outrage over nude photos promotes body shame

Hardly a day goes by anymore without some celebrity's nudity popping up in the news media. A couple of weeks ago, it was Congressman Anthony Weiner's eponymous organ supposedly bulging through boxers in a tweet to a college woman (photo at left). More recently, actress Blake Lively is denying the authenticity of nude self-photos circulating on the Internet, while Jennifer Lopez and her legal team are trying to block the release of video of her dancing nude on her 1997 honeymoon with former husband Ojani Noa.

But it didn't end there. On Friday, it was mixed-martial artist Tito Ortiz's turn to proclaim his innocence in tweeting a full-frontal self-portrait (photo below). "Someone hack my f**king phone," he reportedly tweeted after realizing what had happened.

Oh please.

First of all, Nakedism makes no comment about, nor are we in a position to evaluate, the claims of innocence of the various parties. Whether publicity stunts, flirtations gone wrong, or genuine invasions of privacy, we cannot say.

But the fact remains that in every case, the denuded party claims to be aggrieved or outraged or victimized. Such a state of affairs (pardon the expression) would simply not be necessary if people weren't so terrified by the fact of unclothed human anatomy.

It wasn't always this way. In the 1970s, a number of celebrities posed nude without shame for magazines like Playgirl. But most of these were seen as attempts to rekindle publicity for a dying career. (The same may be true for Ortiz, who hasn't won a fight in some time.) In any case, it never caught on as a trend.

Since then, digital cameras and the rise of the Internet have transformed the ease with which photos can be produced and distributed, not to mention their ubiquity. Americans are awash in digital photo sharing, and many of those include naked flesh.

But one thing hasn't changed: People are still ashamed of being seen naked. In fact, the shame has arguably increased since the 1970s. If the so-called sexual revolution produced lasting results in some areas, it produced only a backlash in the realm of body acceptance.

Despite the taboo nature of nude photos, people continue to take them and pose for them. As we reported last month, as many a quarter of Americans are thought to have taken or posed for naked pictures. Many of these, like the Ortiz photo, appear to be self-portraits.

Perhaps what is needed is a celebrity — preferably many celebrities — to come out of the closet with their nude photos and say, "Yeah this is me, naked. So what?" If enough opinion leaders set a good example of body acceptance, maybe real change would follow.

We have
some simple
advice for celebrities:
Don't get mad —
Get naked.

Our advice to celebrities — and everyone — is simple: Don't get mad. Get naked.

Sadly, Tito Ortiz, despite his reputation for being controversial, might have been one to get the balls rolling. Unlike retired basketball player Dennis Rodman, whose occasional nudity seems to underscore an attempt to show how unusual he is, Ortiz's photo reminds one of the typical in-the-mirror shot that so many of us have seen and taken in a moment of self-pride.

But instead Ortiz chose to react with an expletive and a denial, which, true or not, was designed to distance him from the act of self-revelation.

I'm not sure why he bothered. After all, his girlfriend and mother of his 14-month-old twins happens to be Jenna Jameson — a porn star.

Soccer star will run through the streets naked

Basque soccer star Bixente Lizarazu will keep a promise made last year to run naked through the streets to celebrate his team's promotion to the French football division known as Ligue 1.

Lizarazu, a former Bayern Munich left-back and France international, stated nearly a year ago that if Évian Thonon Gaillard, a football club from France's Alpine region, won the promotion, he would run naked through the city streets. That happened last week when Évian won a 2-1 victory over Stade de Reims. It was only just a year ago that the team was promoted to Ligue 2 following the 2009-10 season.

A French TV channel asked the 41-year-old defender if he planned on keeping his striptease promise. "I'll do it, I'll do it," he said. "I'll keep my word, I'll do it, but I'm not going to call the international press."

Lizarazu, who is a shareholder of Évian, won the Champions League with Bayern Munich in 2001 and helped France win the World Cup in 1998.

Photos of Lizarazu's muscular chest and a video of his naked legs and shapely butt are available to the public on the blog Just Beautiful Men.

Rainy day fun

Where I live, we get a lot of rain. But sometimes, staying indoors on a rainy day isn't so bad. Especially if you happen to have a friend who will help you pass the hours with some idle fun.

That's what happened to me a few weeks ago. A good buddy of mine was in town for the weekend. And when the weather made sight-seeing a less-than-desirable option, we turned our sights on each other. The rhythm of the rain beating on the windows was a throbbing echo of our own tender passions.

But don't take my word for it. Check out the newest addition to Nakedism's video page and click on Rainy Day Ride. I think you'll agree the damp weather didn't dilute our drive.