Happy New Year to my fellow nudists. I’m wishing everyone a great year ahead. The GAT Team will be reviewing new legislation as new legislators take office and introduce bills to meet their constituents’ requests. Nudists need to make sure they know we are their constituents too.
A new year is a time for reflection and planning. The AANR Board will meet in early February to finalize the budget for the year ahead. The AANR President and his team will have developed plans for the Association going forward. In addition to my duties as Government Affairs Chair, I am also your Vice President. AANR is looking at how we engage other nudists and nudist organizations to join us and expand nude use appreciation across the continent.
2023 should be a year of growth for the economy and for us. We need to shake off the COVID malaise that challenged activity and sharing over these last three years and focus on what we do best. We are at our best when we engage the public in our activities. We were on a roll with the 5K and 10K runs, inviting the runner community to visit AANR clubs, and our presence at Earth Day and community celebrations. The passport program should become a part of our member recognition programs.
The AANR pins at NCSL taught us that people will seek us out for a chance to have something, a tchotchke, that displays AANR and nudist pride. Those same pins are a favorite opener for starting conversions at clubs I visit. They see the pin as a benign introduction to nude way of life discussions both at NCSL and at the clubs. Longtime members see it as a milestone marker to how long they have been around AANR and nudism – a chance to talk about the other pins they have and when and where they got their AANR pins. This is a binding moment for me and other team members as we travel to nudist venues.
Our goal for 2023 should be opening up nudism to others and our proclamation of its benefits as we venture back out on the road.
Tim Mullins
AANR Government Affairs Chair and AANR Vice President.