December open forum
Where do naturists stand with the incoming Trump administration and Project 2025?
How will Project 2025 in the United States affect the future of naturism there? How will it affect newsletters like this one, which is based on a U.S. site?
That is one of the many things I’ve been wondering about since the Nov. 6 elections in that country.
Among many other things, Project 2025 will attempt to “infuse the government and society with Conservative Christian values,” according to Wikipedia. It also “proposes criminalizing pornography and imprisoning those who produce it,” the Wikipedia entry says.
Now, every member of The Naturism Community and other naturism newsletter sites on substack know that naturism has nothing to do with pornography. But do the Christian nationalists setting the moral code going forward for the United States truly understand that? Will it be safe for naturists on U.S.-based sites to post their naked images in social media settings after Donald Trump takes office?
I hope that some of the major spokespeople for naturism in the U.S. can get some clarification on this soon — for all naturists. Meanwhile, I am not sure if we will have to pull the plug on this newsletter, even though we don’t often post nude images of anyone.
Personally, as a Canadian, I don’t need any hassles with the U.S. government over a newsletter. Maybe I am getting a little paranoid, but I am not alone on this. Many people are wondering just how many more civil rights might be lost in the United States under a Christian nationalist government. I can’t see how social nudism won’t face further restrictions at the very least, but I can envision much worse. We have all seen what can happen with religious nationalism in countries like Afghanistan and Iran.
All that said, an article landed in my inbox recently that said nudist tourism is drawing a lot of cash to places like Florida. How much will that play into any restrictions on social nudism in the future?
As for pornography, how will the adult film business be affected by a Christian nationalist government. Might that form of entertainment be lost along with the money it generates?
So many questions, so many uncertainties.
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As always, the open forums here are for members to talk about all things naturism and social nudism. You don’t have to pick up on my points here. And a reminder to everyone that to comment, click on the tab below or go to our website. Don’t hit the reply tab if you are reading this in an email.
Happy December, everyone.
From what I can see, elements of Project 2025 have already been introduced in some U.S. states, where abortion has been effectively banned, books have been banned, and Bible lessons have been reintroduced to classroom, among other things. Whether the federal government will try to enact nationwide bans on things remains to be seen.
That said, Florida is considered to be one of the template states for Project 2025, and I haven't heard of naturists being targeted yet.
About the term "woke," which one person used in the comments section here: it is considered to be perjorative, and it's not a word I would expect to see naturists using, considering we see everyone as equal, especially in social nudism settings. We accept people from all walks of life in our community regardless of their political and religious affiliations, race, sexual orientation, gender identity etc.
Sadly, though, there are probably some people who see naturists as "woke," given our respect for the environment and our participation in events like the Naked Bike Rides, which are a form of protest against the use of fossil fuels in favour of pedal power.
I've looked through Project 2025. (I have NOT read it closely. Much too much work.) I figure that's more legit than reading someone else's interpretation.
A lot of it is mundane. Some of it sounds like a good idea. Some of it sounds nutty. But there's the whole Christianization of government part that most voters would not be happy with.
The part of P2025 that concerns us is the resucitation of the Comstock Act of 1873. It prohibits the transmission of obscene materials by the post office or any express company or other common carrier. It was amended to include any wire, cable, broadcast, or interactive computer service. This even includes audio recordings.
The same prohibition applies to information on abortion and birth control as well as the distribution of "treasonous material."
The exact wording of the Comstock Act as amended is here:
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1462
Over the years, the courts have trimmed away the authority of the Comstock Act. However, the Act is still on the books and the next Supreme Court can look at the law and say it all looks good to them. The only way to completely kill a law is through repeal. Otherwise, it can rise from the dead like a vampire.
I think the Trump administration will be very careful how they tiptoe around Project 2025 and free speech. There would be a tremendous voter backlash to strict enforcement with a broad definition of "obscene, lewd, lascivious, or filthy." I don't think Elon would accept broad free-speech restrictions, either. They'll pick an egregious case they think they can win, and then it will have to traverse the courts.
What will happen long before any criminal prosecution is businesses that host websites proactively removing any material that could conceivably fall under the Comstock Act because they don't want the hassle of a possible fight in the future. The government can intimidate businesses into not allowing something, even if that something is perfectly legal.
I would adopt a "wait and see" approach. This will not happen suddenly. I doubt Elon Musk would tolerate it, if it did. If you remember, during the Reagan Administration, Attorney General Edwin Meese tried to declare Playboy and other girlie magazines to be pornography and prohibited under the Comstock Act. It went nowhere.
BTW, the full text of Project 2025 is here: https://www.project2025.org/policy/
Naturism itself is not under the federal purview, but the government could conceivably regulate commercial resorts under the Interstate Commerce Clause. I don't believe it will happen.
In fact,, I don't think they will pull off even a tenth of what they want. Republicans have only a precarious hold on Congress, and most of the people he wants to nominate don't have the competence to steer billion-dollar bureaucracies. Lawsuits will be filed and they will take time to wend through the courts. We will see rampant confusion for the first couple of years.
One year and eleven months to the mid-terms.