I have thrown myself into the role of European Assessor over the past six weeks and it’s with a huge honour that I have accepted the position.
Having always been a naturist, I adhere totally to this philosophy. I don’t restrict my naturism to a few weeks of summer holidays; I practise it all year long and am always on the lookout for new opportunities, always within the respect of naturist values.
As big fan of travel, I am familiar with naturism in all shapes and forms, from small rustic grounds right up to the biggest resorts with all comfort. As president of the Paris Naturist Association, I am very active in the organisation of urban naturism – pool, gym, restaurants, cultural visits – and as international relations officer for the French Federation of Naturism, I am lucky enough to have met a lot of important figures of the international naturist movement, many of whom I count as friends.
I have noticed on social media this year that many naturists hesitate to purchase their licences from their national federations and ask what the purpose of it is. Each federation offers certain benefits to its members, thanks to partnerships, but instead of asking what our federation gives us, we should be asking what we can give to our federation.
Sometimes I hear, “The licence doesn’t concern me, as I’m just a beach naturist” but your beach exists thanks to your federation! In each country, the number of public spaces granted to naturists corresponds to the number of licences sold by that country’s naturist federation. If we all stop buying our licences, everything that our predecessors obtained for us will disappear bit by bit. If you’re a regular at a beach, you are actually directly concerned by the licence.
So, contact your federation today to order your licence!
As naturists, we are part of a huge family. Of course, in any family there are disagreements, but we are connected by values that are held in the heart of each and every naturist at any moment in life, most notably that of respect. As in any area of society, naturism must evolve, and we must be open to new ideas so that naturism constantly moves forward and remains attractive to a new generation. Discrimination must absolutely not be tolerated in the naturist movement and we should be blind to the skin colour, race, sexuality and gender of the person standing in front of us; all that matters is the respect of naturist values.
Laurent Luft