In watching the debate on a Penticton public nude beach, I am compelled to comment on a statement made in the Penticton Western News Social Media Sound Off found on the letters to the editor page recently.
I am a young liberal-minded women and I agree that the loosening of the law to allow women to go topless in certain provinces and to allow naturists to gather on private nude beaches (even if they could be viewed by the public) is a positive thing.
The issue at Three Mile Beach is much more than a debate about body shame and body acceptance and naturists who simple prefer to sunbathe in the nude. The majority of people who would use the nude beach are indeed simply looking for a place to enjoy the sun in the nude. However, such beaches tend to attract a minority of people who engage in heavy drinking, drug use and lewd acts.
I have been witness to these activities both at Wreck Beach in Vancouver while I was a student at UBC and now at Three Mile Beach since the naturist society has moved onto public land last year. Very little seems to be done to ensure that these illegal activities are met with consequences.
So do we want to tolerate the minority illegal activity and lewd acts in order to pander to a special interest group who wants to commandeer a portion of a Penticton Public beach? Your call, Penticton.
Tara Commandeur
Resident of Penticton
