More Nudity, Not Less

And more talk about sex.

Frankly, I expect more.

I live in Sun City Center, a large retirement community in Tampa Bay, Florida. Granted, we’re in a conservative region, primarily Republican voters. But technically, it is at the outer edge of the Bible Belt, whose feathered border is considered “somewhere near Orlando.” Progressive ideas would be more welcome here. Or so I thought.

For this reason, I expected more discussion during the 2024 election. For example, the mainstream media was abuzz with discussions of women’s rights. If you listened carefully, you could hear the word “abortion” over the airwaves arise and fall. So why didn’t I hear spirited debates about this topic among my neighbors? Okay, “debate” is a stretch since few know how to debate civilly. But at least there should have been some two-line salvos, those angry retorts that substitute for debate.

Yet I heard nothing. Zilch.

It’s not that I don’t listen closely. I do. That little group I chat with at the fitness center? My barometer. Within that bunch of men, all sorts of topics come up: hurricane damage, handy DIY hints, domestic politics (rarely foreign). And Trump. Always Trump. Angel or demon, etc.

People take either vaguely liberal or cushy conservative positions, influenced by something they read in The Washington Post or saw on Fox News. Nobody reads books, so discussions don’t go very deep.

But not about sexual matters, such as abortion. This seems odd, because somebody must have a relative, a grandchild for example, who’s experienced an unplanned pregnancy.

Too bad because I’ve some experience in that field, and could give people my impressions of what happened to me in 1968, and what could happen again soon, with abortion being made virtually illegal by local regulations and denounced every Sunday from pulpits.

However, it does not come up. Other issues do, the military, gun regulations, that sort of thing. So why not abortion?

My theory is that nothing ever comes up about sex. Once in a while I’ll tell a salty story and get some snickers, but it never inspires others to contribute.

There’s a sex drought among the senior set. They never mention it. They don’t even talk about affection, like hugging or kissing. They may be concerned about sexual attraction or the waning of desire, but do you hear a peep about it? Never! I once told a Viagra story and it vanished like a lost erection.

If you bring up a sexual topic, it soon tips its hat and says, “Sorry, I must be on my way.” And off it vanishes like a shaft of light at dusk.

However, recently one sexual topic did come up. And it stayed longer than usual. Nudity.

I can’t confirm this, but the way I heard it, two men were discussing a favorite topic among old men. Health problems. They were in the locker room at a nearby fitness center and sharing prostate surgery stories. (Sorry, that’s all you get from me. But you can find more information here.). Both of them had undergone procedures and were busily comparing scars. Suddenly somebody walked in on them, gasped, and stormed out.

I know, it’s hard to get the image out of your head of two old men displaying their prostate scars. But even more so, consider the sight of that poor guy walking in on them, possibly a bona fide member of the Christian community. Imagine his shock! Clearly, some action by the local Community Association would have to be undertaken to prevent such displays in the future.

Not long after that, the signs appeared.

That’s right, “signs.” Plural. There wasn’t just one sign in the men’s locker room, but three, all warning the fellows that nudity was absolutely and positively not allowed in the locker room. But that’s not all. They were installed in both locker rooms, just in case the ladies felt compelled to engage in similar comparisons. There was no word on the accepted method of showering, or who would administer disciplinary action to the scofflaws. It was plain to see that things were getting serious.

Of course none of this would have happened if the authorities had fostered a climate in which elder sexuality was freely discussed. How-to articles appearing in local newspapers. Frank discussions on talk shows. Classes about vibrators at the local adult ed center.

OMG, there would be such an uproar!

 For a few weeks I overheard discussions about the signs. All points of view were getting expressed. There was even laughter.

So I decided to launch a guerrilla action similar to ones I pulled off at college half a century before. The following video is the result.