Coffee and company
A shared table, a conversation, or a slow start on your own.
September 19, 2026 · Our first community meeting
Our first meeting.
A real beginning.
We came together to imagine a gay naturist community. We left with people ready to help shape it.
Thank you to everyone who talked, listened, asked a hard question, or stayed for the long conversation afterward. You brought experience, fresh possibilities and the beginnings of a working group. Here’s what we explored—and where we’re going next.
What if this were
ordinary life?
The conversation began with something many of us recognize from gay naturist gatherings: feeling at ease, making connections, and being able to be ourselves. Max’s starting question was how to bring more of that into everyday life.
We pictured a regular day—not just a great weekend. Where would you have your coffee? Who might you share a meal with? Where could you work, make something, or close your door and enjoy being alone?
Work and make things
Your own job, a garden, a workshop, or learning a skill from a neighbor.
A life to share
A meal, music, a gathering—or a quiet place to sit with a friend.
Room to retreat
Your own space, privacy, and the freedom to say no.
Possibilities raised in the meeting, not an agreed daily schedule or a promise of services.
Be yourself. Let others be themselves. Less judgment, more freedom, and room to say no.
One shared place—and a wider network
Scotty and Patrick made an important point: these ideas do not have to compete. A central community could coexist with nearby homes and a network of gay naturist households elsewhere. Steve F. emphasized the common spaces that make a shared life possible.
Different homes
- Private homes or small homes
- A shared household
- Visiting friends and seasonal stays
The place we come together
Meals. Gardens.
Workshops. Company.
Generous common spaces, with personal space nearby.
More connections
- Friends living close enough to take part
- Other naturist households
- Communities to visit and learn from
Both can belong: a village we build together and a wider network of friendships and homes.
A diagram of the discussion—not a site plan, property boundary or adopted membership model.
Three concrete
next steps.
We did not choose a property or adopt community bylaws. We did choose how to keep working, and people stepped forward to help.
Develop the mission
and vision
Steve F. offered to lead a small group. Scotty and Patrick agreed to help. Max will provide a starting draft, drawing on the project and this conversation; the group will develop it and bring it back for wider discussion.
This means useful, detailed documents—not just a slogan.
Help shape the shared vision →Work between
meetings
We chose Discord for the working conversation, and Geof volunteered to help with moderation. Smaller conversations can focus on mission, locations and living together without making everyone attend every meeting.
Email remains a welcome way to contribute. Difficulty with an app should not keep your ideas out.
Ask to join the conversation →Meet again
on October 24
We settled on monthly general meetings, with the next one on Saturday, October 24 at the same start time. Working-group arrangements can be more frequent and flexible.
Bring one person who might be interested. They can join the email list themselves and come hear what we’re doing.
Put the next meeting on your radar →More than one
way to begin.
Location was a leading question: where could this actually work? We discussed several ways of getting started, and why the best route will depend on the property, people and local rules.
The meeting discussed Riverside County, Tucson/Pima and Eugene among the leading research areas; the location guide also includes Durham and other alternatives. A region on the guide is not a selected property.
Read the current location guide →Adapt a camp or retreat
Existing kitchens, gathering rooms, guest accommodation and utilities could give us a beginning. John suggested watching for camp properties coming onto the market.
Test: do the buildings and permissions work for the year-round life we want—or would we be buying a rebuild?Bring homes together
A shared house, neighboring homes or a residential building could put people close to one another while we develop common spaces.
Test: how do privacy, outdoor naked life, accessibility and the shared spaces fit together?Build on suitable land
Land offers freedom to arrange the community around the life we want. It also means planning and paying for the infrastructure that makes homes possible.
Test: what can open lawfully and comfortably first, and how will later stages be funded?Join an established community
David suggested creating a stronger gay presence within an existing naturist community. Partnerships or adjacent land were also discussed.
Test: are the existing rules and culture compatible with ours, including privacy, autonomy and consensual lives?Four routes discussed—not four chosen developments. A complementary network can accompany more than one of them.
A promising lead is the start of a question
Jeffery described a former movie-set property and asked how to send it in. The next step is the actual listing or location, followed by a check of buildings, services and permitted use. A description of many buildings does not establish that they are homes.
Send a link, what you know firsthand, and what caught your attention. You do not need to write a research report before sharing something useful.
Send a property or resourceThe questions
worth doing well.
Excitement is a good beginning. Making a durable home together means working through practical questions before anyone commits to buying in or moving.
What makes it affordable?
Different budgets, different housing needs, shared equipment and skills—and a clear view of upfront and ongoing costs.
How do we own it—and leave?
What rights come with a home or share? What happens to someone’s money when they need to move? Examples were discussed, but no ownership model was selected.
How do we live well together?
Personal freedom, shared agreements, ways to resolve conflict, and fair decisions that still let the community act.
Can ordinary needs be met?
Healthcare nearby, privacy when needed, common meals and accessible daily life. These are part of choosing a setting, not finishing touches.
Will the setting last?
Mark asked us to consider climate risks over the coming decades. Specific sites need a long-term look, not just an appealing climate today.
What works legally and culturally?
Housing, visitors, gatherings and partner-community rules need careful attention. The meeting raised legal possibilities; it did not establish a legal structure or admissions policy.
The workshop discussion: freedom, boundaries and fair decisions
We used a hypothetical disagreement between neighbors—one fixing cars, the other wanting a tidier view—to explore how decisions might work. People suggested advance agreements, private outdoor space, a shared workshop, facilitated conversations, mediation, representation, rotating responsibilities and proportionate enforcement.
The conversation also distinguished a difference in taste from noise or actual harm. The goal was to hear what makes a process feel fair, not to vote in bylaws. One clear next task is to turn these possibilities into proposals people can understand before they make major commitments.
What’s one thing
you could do?
The people who stayed for the wrap-up offered all sorts of help: writing, resource links, local introductions, property research, moderation and financial support. Listening and asking good questions matter too.
You do not have to join a committee to be useful. Pick something small enough to actually do.
Thank you for putting your hand up.
Steve F. offered to lead mission and vision work; Scotty and Patrick offered experience, models and connections; Mark offered writing feedback and local outreach; Steve S. offered local outreach and to explore a community visit; Geof offered moderation help; Dane offered to bring friends in. Jeffery, David, Bobby H., Theo and Randy brought leads, experience, support and practical help of their own.
These are offers and beginnings, not a claim that everyone’s task is already done. Read the individual thank-yous and find an idea of your own →
Since the meeting · September 20 update
Help with the work
already underway.
The meeting asked for a simple way to contribute and an open ledger. The contribution page puts those together: one-time help, a monthly commitment, and a clear record of the project’s costs.
Thank you, Bobby H., for the $100 already received. Giving money is one way to help; it is not a requirement for taking part.
See the ledger and ways to giveJune–September research budget$800
2,500 business cards$184
Bobby H.’s contribution−$100
$884
still to cover in the dated project budget.
Amounts confirmed by Max after the meeting. The project budget is separate from bank cash; the contribution page has the running details.
Come back with one thought—and maybe one friend.
See you on October 24.
Saturday · 1 p.m. Pacific / 3 p.m. Central / 4 p.m. Eastern.
You’re welcome to talk, listen, ask questions or pass.
Something missing or attributed incorrectly in this recap? Please tell Max.