When I was seven years old, my parents sent my siblings and I to camp in Virginia. This was the first time I was ever away from home or my parents. The camp was at a university and we stayed in the college dorms. The dorms had typical communal showers where all the campers in my group showered at once. On the first day I was mortified at the thought of showering naked in front of all of the other kids and the counselors. So much so that I wore a bathing suit. Then of course I was embarrased that I was one of two kids that wore a bathing suit. So from then on, I showered naked along with the other kids. I believe I was scarred for life (or perhaps a day and a half, I am not sure)
Thirty years too late the Viginai legislature is now poised to pass a law that would have saved me this mortifying experience:
HOUSE BILL NO. 158(emphasis added) (strikeouts ommitted)House Amendments in [ ] - February 5, 2004
A BILL to amend and reenact § 35.1-18 of the Code of Virginia, relating to nudist camps for juveniles.
...
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:1. That § 35.1-18 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 35.1-18. License required; name in which issued; not assignable or transferable.
No person shall own, establish, conduct, maintain, manage, or operate any hotel, restaurant, summer camp, or campground in this Commonwealth unless the hotel, restaurant, summer camp, or campground is licensed as provided in this chapter. The license shall be in the name of the owner or lessee. No license issued hereunder shall be assignable or transferable. The Board shall not issue a license to the owner or lessee of any hotel, summer camp or campground in this Commonwealth that maintains, or conducts as any part of its activities, a nudist camp for juveniles. A " nudist camp for juveniles" is defined to be a hotel, summer camp or campground that is attended by openly nude juveniles whose parent, grandparent, or legal guardian is not also registered for or otherwise accompanying the juvenile at the same camp .
Okay the bill is targeted to prevent a specific camp from holding a nudist camp for juveniles one week a year. The text though does not address how long the juveniles have to be nude. I figure the "openly" covers clothing changes or showers in private but otherwise the law seems to pretty clearly ban any camp that allows nudity in front of other campers. Time to shut down those communal showers for good. Alas high school locker rooms seem to be exempt from the law.
via How Appealing and this article
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