The Nudist Blacklist

Some Nudists, it seems, are more equal than others. When an unidentified naturist was turned away from the René Oltra nudist resort in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, the miffed reject marched all the way to the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés) to find out whether or not the case was grounds for a claim of discrimination. Apparently not; in fact, the intrepid nudist discovered that the René Oltra centre, one of the most popular resorts of its kind in France, had actually been authorised to keep a blacklist of ‘undesirables’ by the French data protection authority.

Often spoken of as Europe’s premier Naturist destination, France has a long and we dare say distinguished history of nudist activism. Marcel Kienné de Mongeot, the veritable father of French naturism, started the country’s first nudist club, Sparta Club in Garambouville, near Evreux. Since then, the trend has only grown: in 2007 France had approximately 150 member clubs, 50 holiday centres and a plethora of official and unofficial nudist beaches all employing about 3000 people and worth up to an estimated 250 million euros to the economy.

René Oltra is not the only one of these holiday resorts, however, to have an exclusive membership status. It seems that many clubs have been granted permission to blacklist certain members, purportedly on account of issues such as personal hygiene, excessive noise making and breaching the ‘nudist ethic’ by wearing clothes. The CNIL reports that it has given René Oltra permission to continue its blacklist, stipulating that it must inform both potential and existing clients of the possibility of being banned.

France is represented in the International Naturist Federation by the Féderation Française de Naturisme. (www.inffni.org/)

References:
www.guardian.co.uk
www.reuters.com