Vermont nude-in

A nude-in confronts nudophobia and body-shame
in a small Vermont town.


Brattleboro, Vermont, shrank slightly in recent years, winding down to
11,944 inhabitants in 2004. Yet it may be more hip than hick.
And the town has no local ordinance (yet) against public nudity.
The state of Vermont lets each locality decide its nudity policy, if any.

Since August, young people have been going nude in the "Harmony Lot".
a parking lot where youths traditionally congregate.


"I'm against it. I'm offended," says a local nudophobe.
"I go downtown to do business and
I don't want this shoved down my throat. We have rights too."



Police Chief John Martin says, "It's not as big a deal as they are all making it out to be.
My opinion is that it is a social annoyance,
more than a crime."


Members of the local Selectboard aren't rushing into a crackdown.
Nor has the Brattleboro Chamber of Commerce commented formally.


Tashina Fielding, a manager at the Book Cellar,
isn't sure whether the town should outlaw the public nudity.
"There are bigger issues to consider about civil liberties and freedoms and sexuality," she said.
"We live in a pretty liberal area. It's an interesting debate."

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[ Most facts are from the Brattleboro Reformer,
Friday, 1 September 2006:

http://www.reformer.com/headlines/ci_4271321 ]



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