I was pretty amazed last week at the reader response to the story we wrote last week about the state shutting down Trail 6 down at San Onofre - a small, secluded stretch of beach where naturists are allowed to hang out naked. 

The state said it will start its  education effort today by telling beachgoers along the 1,000 foot stretch of sand that they will soon not be allowed to shed their clothes. But the area will remain open through the summer, with citations not coming until Labor Day.

I wanted to share some of what readers said about the issue. All together, we had 1,599 people vote on the poll (a pretty large amount in my experience with the blog), and about 175 people submit comments on the original story and the blog combined.  Click here if you want to join the conversation, or vote on the poll.

And to the many inquiries on whether or not I did the interviews at this beach naked - I did not! Get your minds out of the gutter! Although it definitely was a first for me, having to jot down notes while the person I was interviewing had their junk just chillin. The things I’ll do for this job…

When it came to the poll (which remember, is very unscientific), the majority at 1,210 said they were going to head down to the beach to take their clothes off, while only 210 said the state should shut it down.

Here’s what some of the comments read:

tomcat7 wrote:
State run beaches are for everyone to enjoy. Unless nudity is allowed at all beaches they should comply by covering up or find another less exclusive location. My hope is that once enforcement of this issue starts with citations, the popularity of this area will decline and the parking lot will have plenty of spaces avaliable for those of us who enjoy the place for what it is, a surfer’s paradise.
Too all you kooks who sit and sunburn: go home!
 
nakationsdotcom wrote:
This is America. Where is the freedom?
 
thinkerbee wrote:
First it’s the stoners, now it’s the nudies. It gets more and more disturbing every day how far the government thinks it can regulate our lives. They’re not hurting anybody or forcing anyone to do as they do, so leave the freakin hippies alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
johnadams wrote:
I don’t understand why there is such a negative stigma placed on human sexuality and nudity in America.

sailaway wrote:
I love the US, but… when I visited Australia, I wanted to move there. Not that they don’t have problems as well, but it just seems like they don’t sweat the little stuff (like someone topless on a beach), they seem to solve bigger issues like National Healthcare. Just look at their stats on SIDS or life expectancy. I really is astonishing.
 
reallagunagirl wrote:
LOVE the photos here, completely cracked (har har) me up…how hard did that photog have to work to get “family friendly” shots? And how many did he take while thinking (”dude, waaaay too much naked guy in my viewfinder right now…”) Kudos to you, my friend
 
Mary Says:
May 30th, 2008 at 3:53 pm e
I’ve never been to this beach but I’ve been to nude beaches in Europe. It’s fun, it’s harmless, and it’s crazy to prohibit.

Have some class Says:
May 30th, 2008 at 5:36 pm e
There are excellent reasons why they should shut this nude beach down. In the past five years, officials have handed out 83 citations for lewd behavior and 35 tickets for indecent exposure in the area, Stearns said. A 35-year-old man was arrested late last year on suspicion of molesting a 12-year-old in the area.
The employees have complained about picking up used condoms and sex toys.
No one should be engaging in sexual or illegal activity especially in public places.

Steve S Says:
May 31st, 2008 at 9:55 am e
With thousands of miles of coast can’t a few feet be preserved for nude use? The perverts will go there or move to a rest room at a department store, mall, airport or playground. You won’t eliminate the problem just the law-abiding nudists.

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