UK Government open to re-thinking Public Nudity laws

[Alex]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260443/Lower-age-consent-14-allow-public-nudity-civil-servants-told-No10.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Much of the article is concerned with lowering the age of consent, which isn't why I'm drawing it to the sites attention (and it's also treated with the typical Daily Mail paintbrush), but the rest is certainly encouraging and interesting for Brits.

[Turtlejosh]

This looks encouraging but I worry it may just be all talk and not go any further.

But I am glad to see them realising that people are not clothed or flashers, but some are merely nude for enjoyment in a non sexual way. I hope this is progression :)

[Northman]

This seems very interesting. I am eager to see what will come of this. And as a positive thing, people are at least talking about public nudity.

[Archaewok1]

Wish the UK well with the whole public nudity thing. It seems like it would take much longer for something like that to have a chance at passing in America. I also thought this was interesting:

"In 1875 the Offences Against the Persons Act raised the age of sexual consent from 12 to 13 in Great Britain and Ireland."

I have a feeling there was probably a similarly low age in America back in the day as well, and yet people freak out when we mention lowering the age of consent or adulthood below 18 (or 16 in the UK's case). Honestly, I think in America the age of adulthood should be lowered to 16, because teenagers are plenty capable of making responsible and rational decisions by then. I mean they already can own a car, have a job, pay taxes, and are making adult decisions whether people like it or not. If we bothered to help them be adults instead of treating them like children, they would probably start acting more responsibly. I know plenty of adults who act worse than 16-year-olds.

[Delta]

You know, speaking of adulthood in the US, I find it a bit confusing that people who are considered mature enough to operate potentially dangerous machines are not considered mature enough to drink a beer.

[Gman707]

Typical daily mail reaction. I had had sexual relations by 14 and a lot of my friends had. I think all of us wish we had wIted until we all knew what we were doing though. I think the issue should not be lowering the age of consent,  but increasing educational standards when it comes to yhese matters. Every time the subject of sex education for under 16 comes up there is outrage. Lets not forget that by 14  mostof us are fully sexually active and our hormnes are making us want sex. Maybe we should be taught how to deal with that and given advice on what a disaster sex can be at that age rather than us hiding behind an antiquated sence of modersty and propiety.
As for the nudity stuff though I hope that there are some possitive changes made that allow us all to be catered for.

[Alex]

Just to confirm, this isn't the place to talk about the age of consent and issues to do with - there's a separate section forum for that.
This is just a post that is meant to be about about a news story to do with looking at public nudity, as my disclaimer in the initial post stated.

[Mark]

Funny, I read that both ideas had been shot down.

And of course the miserable old farts on yahoo news complained about paedophiles in government and muslims taking over. Same old, same old.

[Gman707]

I wasnt trying to start a discussion about the age of concent (espessially since i think it should be what it is) it was more that the two issues are reported togetjer in a reactionist way. Thats the thing that gets me. The media fear mongers use any contraversial issue to get people on their high horse. It annoys me that recreational nudity is lumped in with issues that are seen as a problem in our 'broken society' by people who like to get outraged but not actually do anything to fix the problems. These are the samw people who blame video games for our yob culturewhen it is actually their inability to educate their  children in how to be reapectful members of society that has lead to problems.

[escape]

The law on public nudity in the UK is already pretty sensible, so while it would be great for it to be legal everywhere, it just doesn't seem like an issue to me. Both official and unofficial nude beaches are legal in the UK. When people start going around family beaches fully naked or past schools, they're going to still wind up committing some kind of public order offence. Sure ditch the Vagrancy Act, but it will just be covered under public order laws instead. Top-freedom laws for women would make more sense to me.

[chrisw91]

This looks encouraging but I worry it may just be all talk and not go any further.

  It would be great if it actually happened, but I very much doubt it. Probably just trying to appeal to the naturist society to gain more votes. Good to see them thinking outside the box though. 

[Danee]

At least, its being discussed, and that says a lot. 

[comporta]

good news doesn't mean that UK will have a better law in the future, but the buzz about it is at least a (good) sign that a substancial part of the society (even some politicians) do not look to public nudity with so much weirdness as the actual law treats this issue nowadays.

And anyway even if nothing changes in the law, there is a good public awareness about the issue, which is greatly positive.

[mikeisnude]

I wish the UK well and hope it happens sooner rather then later.   I don't see it happening in the USA in anything short of 50 years though.