How do you keep a nude beach safe from sex pests, accepting nudity is not the cause, but that a remote location can encourage predatory opportunism? For me, Tyagarah nude beach is a wicked problem. And I don’t mean morally. I mean culturally.
A wicked problem is a social or cultural problem that’s difficult or impossible to solve because of its complex and interconnected nature. Wicked problems lack clarity in both their aims and solutions and are subject to real-world constraints which hinder risk-free attempts to find a solution. We need to drop our binary lens to solve this one, so I’m going to have a crack (pardon the pun).
I have listened to both sides of the argument and it’s hard (pardon the pun, again). It leaves me supporting the rights of liberty requested by both sides of the argument. That is a) the right for people to swim naked with their associated community at a designated location, recognised and protected by the law, and b) for people living in that area, and attending the beach to enjoy said beach, clothed or unclothed, free of harassment and sexual predation.
They are both perfectly reasonable requests, and we should aim to achieve both goals, thus ensuring the continuity of a much-loved nude beach, AND the safety of all those attending or living nearby. I feel like the conversation we have been having has been reduced to an ‘either/or’ situation, where the argument is ‘free thinking libertarians who are comfortable with nudity’ vs. ‘anti-freedom body shaming prudes.’ I don’t think that’s fair.
It has minimised, and at times erased, the harassment and predation many local residents have experienced and made the argument about public morality, rather than everyone’s right to not be confronted by a man masturbating in the carpark.
Surely addressing sexual predation and harassment is in the interests not just of local residents, but of anyone attending a nude beach? Shouldn’t safety for all beach users be a number one priority?
So I decided to listen to some local residents. One of the women told me about being followed home by a man asking her to get in his car. Others spoke of being confronted by men publicly masturbating on the beach or in the carpark. When one woman took her phone out to film a perpetrator as advised by the police, he chased her off the beach. She was terrified. Stories come gushing like a tap. They all spoke of being laughed at by authorities, and how the sexual predation was constant. They’re scared. And they’re over it. I wondered if a woman or child confronted by a man masturbating at The Pass would be treated with the same disregard?
Why are we minimising sexual assault? It’s not the fault of the nudists. They want safety too. But we have to face facts, predators are by nature opportunistic. A remote nude beach means surveillance is irregular if at all. It seems unfair to ask one portion of the community to suffer the unintended consequences of a remotely located naturist beach. As a speaker at the infamous 1997 Nude Ain’t Rude Rally calling for clothing-optional beaches at Belongil, the argument was that remote nude beaches make beach users unsafe as it opened the door for sexual predators to be unchecked.
In 2017 a young backpacker was raped at Tyagarah Nature Reserve by a man who said ‘you asked for this, you came to a nude beach all by yourself.’ This was widely reported. That perpetrator went to prison for nine years. He’ll be out soon. So let’s stop hiding nude beaches in places that make women vulnerable?
If we are really OK with it, then let’s locate clothing-optional beaches closer to town? Let’s trial days of the week, or hours of the day? I attended the English Garden in Munich. In the centre of the city is an enormous park with nude bathing. One side of the river is nude, the other is clothed. They are fully visible to each other. Everyone looked pretty comfortable. So clearly, other countries have made it work.
One thing that hasn’t been addressed adequately is the impact of online platforms supercharging the safety concerns. Tyagarah Beach is EVERYWHERE online. One post was asking for people to come shoot a porno. It shouldn’t be a debate about to nude or not to nude, it’s simply: how do we get rid of the uninvited wankers?
Queensland. It’s a major wanker source. You see they made nude beaches illegal so anyone who wants to access beaches has to come to ours. Local residents remarked that during Covid, with border closures, the sexual predation was close to nil. So was it mainly Queenslanders driving down to engage in predation? Anecdotally it would appear it’s not locals who are the problem. Sex pests are the cane toads of naturist beaches. So is this a way of solving this wicked problem? Border control? You shouldn’t need a global pandemic to feel safe.
So instead of talking about nudity, maybe we need to start talking about how we tackle predation. Predictably it’s men. To date no masturbating women have chased men on the beach or followed men in their cars demanding they get in.
Maybe the root (pardon the pun) of the wicked problem is, we’ve been talking about the wrong thing.
well spoken (written) Mandy and hits the nail on the (dick)head
Ladies should carry a wooden spoon and be prepared to use it. Send that thing flying!
Thanks Mandy, I used to love going there, walk or jog naked on the beach. I still go when time and weather permits. A great feeling of freedom in an otherwise over regulated life.
I did once may years ago have a nap to open my eyes to some ‘predator’ hovering over me whom I shouted at to f off. If I were a female and unless I was trained in a deadly martial art, I too would have felt unsafe. So, you indeed hit the nail on the head. A beach tucked away from the public will attract these toads. Great idea to trial an area of public beach for days of a week or hours of a day and then review after say a year…to extend or retract the trial. Thank you for voicing your pov. Now to action it. 🙂
I work in Tyagarah… going to the beach on my lunch break was a great thing to do…however, I have been flashed by too many men to return.. I am an elder in my community, heaven knows what happens to younger people by this group … surely this is the real issue.. and then let’s try to have a nude beach… perhaps somewhere safer for all.
I just have to note here, I believe back in 2018 during lead up to Bluesfest it was put to you to contribute to Lifesaving expenditure Tyagarah Beach for the safety of your patrons Bluesfest .., no reply.
Seems a duty of care applies .
Clearly this article is biased.
After attending the NPWS meeting 2 weeks ago, convened to discuss issue of Tyagarah COA with numerous Stakeholders NPWS Representatives, Arakwal Representative, Chief Inspector of Police, Local Business Stakeholders, Local Residents and Naturists Representatives of which I both.
Seems that not much has changed from Safe Beaches Committee going back to 2016-2018. I’d attended all meetings, except one when I was attending my son’s funeral in Melb.
Yes the same historic complaints then about the COA by Grays Lane/Preston Lane minority dramatising events which may have happened prior to 2018 but few isolated and definitely no Sexual Assaults or Violence on the CO Beach in the last few years. 2 weeks ago these same residents stated they’d reported incidents to Police and nothing was done ? That it wasn’t even recorded on statistics CAD.
I’ve seen the stats CAD after a request through FOI.
There have been no incidents reported in the last 3 yrs.
Chief Inspector of Police confirmed at this meeting that any reports would still have been recorded. There were none.
So for those Grays Lane/Preston Lane residents stating Police weren’t basically doing their job, I requested as I had back in 2018 at SBC meetings as I did 2 weeks ago, were residents obtaining evidence … we all carry a mobile phone and I for one, if I was looking to get evidence, my phone would not be leaving my hand.
Clearly there were not the stated reports made.
We did a programme of Report any inappropriate behaviour around our clothing optional beach to police immediately.
We we do not condone any inappropriate behaviour on or around Tyagarah Clothing Optional Beach or anywhere else.
We asked countless times on all Social Media to report immediately.
I guess Mandy there are two sides to every story … I’m happy if you have the time to catch up.
Thanks.
I do love all these anecdotes.
The 2017 rape was by a guy living in Coffs Harbour and occurred at
Belongil beach. So not a Queenslander.
The other sexual attack was a local who followed the girl to the
carpark and then flashed her.
Yet again not a Queenslander.
The other sexual attack at Ti Tree lakes was once again a NSW resident.
The woman walking home down Grays lane ,which is a couple of
kilometers long, had a man asking her to get in the car. Presumably
she got the rego and a full description which the Police followed up
with. No?? Or did the 24 hr security camera on Grays lane record his
rego? No???
The woman who was chased off the beach by the person up to no good
escaped the beach with her phone and video and this person was then
caught by the surveillance footage she had taken which is then matched
with the surveillance camera on grays lane? NO??? Or was it a local
who walked the beach back to Byron bay.
If i went to this beach and turned left and fired a machine gun i
wouldn’t hit any one as it is deserted as far as the eye can see.
Queensland does not have an official nudist beach. Does that mean
there are not any. Once again No.
Now here is the clincher………Over the last three years there have
been ZERO Police incidents.
Previous ones were Const Tracey nabbing people who were slightly
outside the designated area or skinny dipping at Ti Tree lakes which
by the way has never been designated as a clothing optional area.
I would prefer the old days in which Belongil was the chosen beach.
Close to town. Close to free car parks. Not so isolated.
If this beach loses its official status do you imagine that people
will suddenly not go there and there will be no one skinny dipping? I
see people skinny dipping at Tallow and Sunrise and Belongil all the
time. Even you, I believe skinny dipped at Main Beach. (Not a clothes optional beach)
Kings beach is not an official nudist beach but is packed on the
weekend and also features in a lot of dubious sites. So what’s your
point?
Thank you.
My understanding is that the reports of inappropriate behavior have almost dried up over the past three years, however I accept that some people are still traumatized be previous experiences.
Regardless if that is true or not, please pick on the sex pests, not the nudists. They are not to blame. It’s important not to blame the victims in this scenario, who are in grave danger of loosing their sacred place – a place of community where they base much of their identity.
I guess if moving the beach to The Wreck or somewhere similar fixes the problem, then why the heck not just get on with it. Byron needs a nude beach.
When my old parents visited me from Germany, I took them to main beach. Before I noticed, they stripped naked and ran into the sea. Running after them, two walruses came to mind. I struggled to explain that this sort of thing was a punishable offence. Quite repressed was only one of the comments they made, it had a very comical note to it. I still astounds me that this is an issue. The more repressed a society, the more it perverts itself. Look at the catholic church, the celibate brings out the pervert. That said, there is a difference between a predator and a nude bather. It takes a working community to solve that issue.
Better close Main beach in Byron also, there has been some serious assaults, including rapes there over the years.
Maybe everyone would be safer staying at home?
OR would they?
Home is where the vast majority of all sexual offences take place!
We are all doomed!!
Let the nudists enjoy one of the last freedoms in the shire, cloth optional bathing. If you don’t like it, well there is plenty of other beaches on offer!!
Wake up!
So the nude beach is not the wicked problem then?
I agree that pulling the predators into the spotlight and deterring their attendance by designating clothing optional beaches closer to where law enforcement is located is a good idea.
But I think you should back up your claims with some (law enforcement stats) facts and reconsider your point about Queensland as a @$#@# source.
In any bigger group you have a number of idiots. If you reduce the total of the group you reduce the amount of idiots.
But that doesn’t solve the correctly identified wicked problem of predatory and illegal behaviour. Effective and encouraged law enforcement will.
I stopped going to Tyagarah many years ago because of predatory male behaviour, even when beach going with male friends, the creeps would still come a lurking. Never mind White’s or Brays beach!!
We used to feel so safe swimming at Belogil in the nude. There were always people around, and if some wanker got his pecker out I would just shout and a bunch of people would shame the guy off the beach.
This is a discussion that needs more air so thanks for bringing it back into the conversation Mandy. Eloquently written as always x
Why can’t you people just keep your clothes on?
Why can’t you just relax Kaz? We’ve all got naughty bits!
Bits are only naughty when exposed, I think that’s the point here. When one nudes up one is mostly thinking about bits.
It’s only a big deal and dwelt upon when it’s made a big deal surely.
Your comments are totally inaccurate.
After travelling many times throughout Europe, nudity in public is normalised. Public Beaches, Parks, River Sides and with many … many Naturist family friendly Resorts and even towns for Naturists to enjoy exactly that Nature. Eat out at a restaurant nude no problem, I don’t recall anyone ever getting naughty as you state.
We are all as human beings the same.
Stop trying to put your own dirty notions on others.
I’ve met literally thousands of nudists on my Clothing Optional Property and involvement with Byron Naturists. Naturists are the most genuine people you will ever meet.
What you refer to are not Naturists but Swingers and Exhibitionists.
5 dogs beach with 1 CO Beach about to be no more.
Shameful for NPWS to take away the 800 metres we’ve passionately fought to save !!!
My bits aren’t naughty. They are well-behaved.
Mine are wicked!
And look at the result.
Perhaps they were.
😈
Mandy is just ill informed. Police CAD is what is in fact FACTUAL.
When the English came they bought their Victorian era morals, which included ‘skirts’ on furniture legs. Firstly swimming in the ocean was banned during daylight hours, and that was chalenged, which changed to allowing swimming in the day but only on seperate beaches for men and women, and that was chalenged, which changed to alowing both males and females on the same beach but with strict neck to knee restrictions on both men and womens bathing costumes, and that was chalenged, which saw a progressive move to briefer and briefer costumes (in the 1970s they were still kicking women off Bondi Beach becaise the side of their bikini botoms were less than 2 inches wide), then a woman in court chalenged, and won, that being topless was the same as a man being topless. We now have progressed to just a string up ones bottom being acceptable beach wear. No woman has to wear a brief costume, but we have progressed to where a woman can comfortably change under a towel without worying that she may flash a breast or be considdered imoral. It’s time to progress to all beaches being clothes optional, so that naturists can be in the public spaces whwere there is other beach goers. I dont suport …. any move that says that all women should now wear burkinis as per the Korans dictate that women, when meeting a man, must cast her eyes down and have all her body covered in baggy clothes that dont show the shape of her body, except for her face, hands and feet.
Just saying, re this articles heading photo of nudes acompanied by “Instead of talking about nudity, maybe we need to start talking about how we tackle predation.” – in France a teacher in an art class showed photos of nude paintings hanging in the Louvre artgallery to his students, the Muslim students were afronted, and when he went out of the school he was murdered by Muslims for showing them.
Lower standards around sex, this is what you get, among all the other problems that are now happening. There are reasons those old standards existed
BS – there was rampant licentiousness going on behind all those “standards”.
Sometimes our brigade can’t stop a fire, but if we suppress it enough, and stop it becoming a firestorm, we can get it to go around anything of value. Co-existence. Sustainability. Nature needs a certain amount of burning to keep it healthy, but it doesn’t need to takeout the old trees and houses.
Yes, quite right but it wasn’t shoved down our throats!