On a windy, drizzly, downtrodden day like today, you might like to stare off into the distance and slip into fantasies of sand clogging up your toes—but hopefully you're not tied to being nekked in those fantasies, because the last bastion of nude sunbathing in the area is going by the wayside. Fire Island National Seashore authorities have announced that they will start enforcing long-standing laws banning nude sunbathing. We can think of at least one person who must be happy about this development:
Fire Island chief ranger Lena Koschmann told Newsday they were enforcing the nudity ban because of increased complaints about sex, masturbation and prostitution. "We've been struggling to make it work because Fire Island has a history of that type of use and people have been coming there for years," Koschmann said. "The more we talked about it and researched it, the more we realized that that use wasn't compatible with an area like Lighthouse Beach."
Also hurting the lazy sunbathers: Hurricane Sandy wiped out the barrier island's dunes, which previously provided some cover and obscured the view for the beachgoers with delicate sensibilities. "There has been a huge change in the demographic and the types of activities happening there in the last 10 or 15 years," said Koschmann. "Now when you go out there it's a party atmosphere. There's DJs and music, and people partying and drinking." But no more genitalia.
