The year ahead provides another great chance for AANR and GAT to promote nude recreation. Election years usually mean politicians are looking for feel-good projects and they don’t want any controversy. It also means we have opportunities to participate in these elections by supporting candidates who support our causes.
Personally, I support my congressman with help in his campaign office and have spoken to him on numerous occasions about my passion for nude recreation. He knows I am active in AANR and a valued member of my community. I’m the face of normalizing nudity in his district. This is something we can all do, at any level.
I also support the efforts of my County Supervisor and my member of the city council. Why is this important to GAT? Because all politics is local. Each person running for office may go on to higher office, or they may have an impact in their current position that affects our local community. In their capacity as elected officials, they may have a chance to support freedom of expression and use of public lands by our fellow nudists.
Looking back on 2021, our efforts to support the GAT teams in each region, and our personal support for various local efforts, made me feel we did well for such a wild year. We supported efforts at Little Beach in Hawai‘i, lent support to local efforts in Florida and California, and provided advice to our team members from AANR Western Canada.
The team continues to participate in the monthly GAT Chat. Members add to the items we share in the notes following those meetings with follow up emails to the team, building on things brought up during the chat. It’s reassuring to see that even when a member can’t be there for the hour with the team, they feel they can still provide support after the fact. The team’s commitment helps us grow in our ability to be effective ambassadors for social nude freedom. So let’s make 2022 a year of renewed commitment to help make nudists valued members of our communities.