GNI proudly stands alongside the mainstream naturist movement. The organizations below advance our shared mission — through advocacy, education, legal defense, and the stewardship of clothing‑optional beaches and resorts across North America and beyond. We encourage every GNI member to join, support, and participate in these vital groups.
NAC · naturistaction.org
The political and legal voice of American naturism — protecting your right to be nude.
Established in 1991 and recognized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit, the Naturist Action Committee is the leading advocacy body for naturist rights across North America. NAC lobbies legislators, monitors case law, and intervenes in court cases involving First Amendment rights, improper law enforcement, naturist business rights, and women’s top-free equality.
Through its Area Representative program — launched in 1995 — NAC fields a network of trained activists who coordinate local and regional responses to legislative threats and opportunities. Wherever a nude beach faces closure, a state park bans nudity, or a club is challenged in court, NAC is usually the first organization on the ground.
NEF · naturisteducation.org
Preserving the history and advancing the public understanding of naturism.
The Naturist Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to the academic, historical, and cultural study of naturism. Its flagship project — the NEF Research Library, established in 2014 — is one of the world’s largest open collections of naturist-themed publications, with more than 16,000 magazines and 1,000 books.
Scholars, journalists, students, and members of the public alike can submit research requests or virtually “check out” selected items through NEF’s free Digital Loan program. By making this material accessible, NEF improves the public understanding of what naturism has been and what it continues to mean today.
TNS · naturistsociety.com
“Body acceptance is the goal, nude recreation is the way.”
Founded in 1980 in San Francisco by writer and activist Lee Baxandall, The Naturist Society became the home of a more activist, free-beach-focused American naturism. Its publication, originally Clothed with the Sun and later Nude & Natural, gave the movement a literary voice and a continental community.
TNS is also where GNI began — Gay Naturists International originated as a TNS Special Interest Group before becoming the independent organization it is today. The Naturist Society Foundation continues to coordinate The Naturist Network of local affiliates and special interest groups across the United States.
SFFB · FNA · sffb.com
The organization that built Haulover Beach into America’s most successful urban nude beach.
Founded in 1981, SFFB/FNA is the creator and mentor of the world-famous clothing-optional section of Miami’s Haulover Beach — designated in 1991 and now widely regarded as the model for urban nude beaches. The organization maintains an active Government Affairs program in Tallahassee and has employed a Florida legislative lobbyist continuously since 1994.
As a regional TNS affiliate, SFFB/FNA partners with GNI on public events, advocacy projects, and the volunteer Beach Ambassador program. The north end of Haulover’s clothing-optional section is especially popular with gay patrons, and SFFB actively recruits gay community members as Beach Ambassadors.
beachesfoundation.org
Beach Education Advocates for Culture, Health, Environment and Safety.
Incorporated in Florida in 1999 and granted IRS 501(c)(3) status in 2000, B.E.A.C.H.E.S. is the educational and charitable adjunct to SFFB. Its long-term mission is to create designated areas on North American public beaches for safe, well-managed, family-friendly clothing-optional recreation — supported by on-site naturist stewardship and cooperative partnerships with government, business, and law enforcement.
Major projects include legislative advocacy to reclaim three of Florida’s most popular clothing-optional state beaches; The Beach Buzz, an educational publication for beachgoers; and a planned public Naturist Library and Museum near Haulover. B.E.A.C.H.E.S. also co-hosts the Beach Ambassador training program with SFFB.
Friends of Blind Creek Beach · treasurecoastnaturists.org
Stewards of one of Florida’s most remote and pristine clothing-optional beaches.
Treasure Coast Naturists began as the “Friends of Blind Creek Beach” in 2014 and has since matured into a not-for-profit dedicated to stewarding the family-oriented clothing-optional shoreline at Blind Creek Beach on Hutchinson Island — between Fort Pierce and Jensen Beach on Florida’s Treasure Coast.
Although casual nude use has a long history at this remote and pristine beach, it is now formally recognized by local law enforcement as lawful. TCN maintains an active Beach Ambassador citizens’ committee whose trained volunteers patrol the shoreline to keep it safe and inviting for visitors, wildlife, and native plants.
FOBB · friendsofbatesbeach.org
Twelve years of advocacy that restored a 40-year California free-beach tradition.
A division of the Southern California Naturist Association, Friends of Bates Beach works to maintain and legalize the traditional clothing-optional beaches in Santa Barbara County. The northwestern tip of Bates Beach in Carpinteria has been a beloved clothing-optional spot for more than forty years.
After a 12-year campaign, FOBB secured a 2017 agreement with the County Parks Department and Sheriff to refrain from issuing citations unless a non-deputy complaint is made — the same status enjoyed by California’s most famous nude beaches. FOBB also operates a Beach Ambassador patrol program (since 2010), monthly summer cleanups, and the annual California Beach Clean-up Day.
SCNA · socalnaturist.org
The largest naturist travel club in Southern California.
When the legendary Elysium Fields retreat closed in 2000, its members founded the Southern California Naturist Association to keep the community alive. Incorporated in 2001 and granted 501(c)(7) non-profit status in 2003, SCNA is now the largest naturist travel club in the Los Angeles and Ventura County region.
SCNA programs include backyard pool parties, bowling days, nude yoga, nude comedy shows, beach trips, and a wide range of social gatherings throughout Southern California. The association participates in both major national naturist organizations — AANR and TNSF — and oversees the Friends of Bates Beach division.
AANR · aanr.com
Nine decades of family-friendly naturism across North America.
Founded in 1931 by Ilsley Boone and Henry S. Huntington as the International Nudist League — later renamed the American Sunbathing Association and, in 1995, rebranded as AANR — the American Association for Nude Recreation is the largest and longest-established naturist organization in North America. Roughly 200 nudist resorts, clubs, and businesses are affiliated with AANR, serving more than 30,000 members across the United States, Canada, Mexico, the French West Indies, the Virgin Islands, and Saint Martin.
AANR promotes the benefits of nude family recreation while working to protect the rights of nudists in appropriate settings — sanctioned nude beaches, public lands set aside for that use, private homes and backyards, and AANR-affiliated clubs, campgrounds, and resorts.
The naturist movement only thrives when its members show up — with dollars, with volunteer hours, and with their presence on the beach. GNI encourages every member to support at least one of the organizations above.
