- Title: BRAZIL: RIO DE JANEIRO'S FIRST NUDE BEACH OPENS AFTER LENGTHY DEBATE
- Date: 6th November 2003
- Summary: LV NUDISTS SV NON-NUDISTS ON THE BEACH
- Embargoed: 21st November 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: General,Quirky,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA6AZVRTEDF1JJT5SZDSD8MQG0F
- Story Text: Rio's first nude beach has opened after a lengthy debate.
With winter approaching across Europe, Brazil's beaches boast of sunshine and heat. In a country that isn't short of sexy beachgoers there is now one beach where sunbathers can strip off even more all the way.
Nude beachgoers will finally able to sunbathe without worrying about police interference on the Abrico Beach, in the western part of Rio de Janeiro. The beach recently permitted nudism, making it Rio's first nude beach.
"I think it's interesting," said Zenaida Reiss, a partially nude beach goer, "It gives you a better more complete contact with nature. It's like you really feel like you are part of nature itself."
Abrico Beach is located next to Grumari Beach, a popular spot for surfers in Rio de Janeiro. According to the Nudist Association of Abrico, the beach has been frequented by nudists since the 1960s.
"You express your liberty," said Ricardo Bezarra, a nudist. "To be nude is also an education, it's the best school. It's my right to have access to this, it's a political statement to live as a nudist."
The Abrico beach nudist debate began in 1994, when the Secretary of the Environment of Rio de Janeiro authorized nude bathing on the beach. One week later, the Justice Department prohibited nude bathing.
Since September 30, 2003, naked bathers have, once again, been allowed back onto the beach. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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