Thanks to Dario Western, organiser of the 2008 Brisbane Naked Ride, for posting this account of the event.

I don't mean to get heavy or anything but I thought I would give my honest opinion on the Brisbane leg of the World Naked Bike Ride that I organised this weekend gone.

Compared to last year's event which attracted 32 riders (and 29 cops!), this year was a complete dud. 

Out of over 90 people who were informed about the event, only 10 people turned up for it and out of them only 6 actually participated - 5 guys and 1 woman.

There was none of the larrikin jubilance and jollity that last year's one had - it was a very sombre affair.  The press from Quest Newspapers, Cycle Sport magazine and Channel 9 (which is usually very stuffy and conservative about news reports featuring nudity) turned up for it.  Instead of being greeted by a large group of happy, painted up cyclists they encountered a group of 10 people wandering about aimlessly in the park, all fully dressed and wondering what the heck was going on.  There were 6 cop cars in the park watching us like a hawk.

The body painting had nothing to do with the ride's ethos of protesting against oil companies or environmental abuse - it was more to venerate sexual aesthetics of the body.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the sight of the human body but I'm also able to view it in a non-sexual context (unlike a lot of our brainwashed society).

After giving a few interviews to the press, the ride started at 4.20 pm - 20 minutes later than it was meant to.  At the last minute I opted out of riding due to a negative gut feeling I had with the way the police acted towards us, and the lack of female participants.  I ended up staying at the base minding the rider's gear.  They came back about 45 minutes later and I interviewed them briefly.  Despite being escorted down the bike track by the cops the whole way, nobody took offence to the event, and in fact the local residents just laughed and cheered them on.

Whilst the riders enjoyed it, for me it was a dismal failure, and I wonder why?  Maybe it was the location I chose to do it, as it is most Brisbane activists tend to be based in the inner-city area and don't like to travel too far to enjoy themselves (with the exception of going to rock music festivals in surrounding areas).

It was also interesting to note that apart from film maker Charles Macfarland and the reporter from Cycle Sport magazine, not one single person from last year's ride bothered to turn up for this year's one.  Other bike rides in the other states fared slightly better - Byron Bay got 20 people and Melbourne got 50 people.  But none of the riders went fully nude after the police threatened them with arrest.

However, I will not be beaten.  I am planning another alternative bike ride on March 29th (the day after Earth Hour) at a secret location in Brisbane's inner-city area that the media won't know about until 1 day before the event.  The cops will not be informed either, as they are nothing but a nuisance and a hindrance to the event's message of body acceptance.  I'm sick of the church, the government, the police, and other factions of society telling the masses that being naked is either bad, criminal, or a sexual thing and I intend to do something to change that paradigm - but I can't do it alone.

It should also be noted that several progresses and human freedoms that we take for granted today have been won due to civil disobedience and people who were prepared to break the laws.

Galileo was kicked out of the church and branded a 'heretic' because of his theory that the earth was round.  Years later, science proved him correct.

Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the bus to a white passenger in order to stand up for black pride in America.  She was arrested and jailed, but eventually civil disobedience won out and apartheid in America was abolished.

Gwen Jacobs went bare chested in public in Canada in 1991 because it was a hot day.  She was arrested, took the matter to court and the laws were overturned in Canada to make it legal for women to go topfree in the same places and contexts that men are.  However, she hasn't been seen or heard of since.

Colonel Sanders led a varied life and was rejected by over 100 restaurants when he tried to sell his then not-famous fried chicken recipes until he finally found some interest in 1964.  Today, KFC is one of the biggest takeaway restaurants in the world.

Jesus Christ was one of the most brilliant orators on life and philosophy, but was put to death by the religious leaders and the Roman government who saw him as a menace to society and a political agitator.  Today, the religious and spiritual movement that he inspired is one of the most influential.

Tom Hanks' character in Philadelphia was as a gay lawyer who got the sack from his job because he was gay.  He hired a homophobic lawyer to handle his defence counsel and eventually won the case for gays to get equality in the workforce.

Women on Australia's beaches were originally arrested for sunbathing with no tops on in the early 70's, until the laws were amended and now they can enjoy that privilege.

Albert Einstein was considered a loner and a social misfit for his theory that energy equated mass times the velocity of light squared.  Years later, his theory was proved correct with the invention of the atom bomb and today he is one considered one of the greatest scientific intellects that ever lived.

Photographer Spencer Tunick was arrested five times in New York in the space of three years and spent 3 days in the watchouse for his installations of nude people lying down in public streets and his work turned down by many photographic magazines.  Today, thousands of people clamour to be in his photo shoots with over 5,000 people turning up for his Melbourne shoot in 2001, and over 18,000 in Mexico City last year.

So what is it with Brisbane people who don't think that the human body is something to be hidden or ashamed of?  Why are they so afraid to get 'out there' and stand up for what they believe in?  I have received no support whatsoever from anyone I know in the organised nudist movement here, with some of them suggesting that I hold the ride at a nudist club instead.  But what media impact will it have?  Virtually none, because it is preaching to the converted.

Let's see the people of Brisbane rise up for the next ride!  Let's see us show the rest of society that we are not ashamed of our bodies, and that we are not these creepy, sleazy sexual perverts that so many factions of society often paint us out to be.

Let us show the police and the law that we will not be moved, that we are prepared to fight tooth and nail for our freedoms and help to create a better world for the future!  :-D

Do I have this right?

You never rode in an event you organised yourself and now you are complaining about the people that did ride............hmmmmmmm

And did you also say you never rode because of a lack of FEMALE participants? Is that because you find male bodies offensive or because as a male you would rather look at females naked.

What about the cause? I was under the impression the ride was about Carbon Emmissions primarily not the promotion of Nudism.

Oh and did you then complain in another thread about the content of Naked Australians having suggestive poses after you have stated you never rode because there were no female riders.

Give me a break........

I photographed the Newcastle ride and the people were nothing but positive and dedicated to their cause. They busted their balls to make a good show and were not put off when the police turned up and arrested someone. The bulk of the riders were male but the organiser still particpated and never complained about the people that did give him the support and certainly never said he wouldn't ride due to a lack of females. They had a thouroughly great day and by all accounts a great after party too.

Dario thanks for your account on the Brisbane ride. We were wondering how it had all gone for you up there.

Considering you organised the event, it was a very frank and honest account you gave.

After reading your post, the main question that springs to mind is how can you attract more people to ride and participate next time? What could you do differently?

We have no idea how you organise your event in Brisbane but Naked Australians has noticed one problem, generally, with Australia's World Naked Bike Rides. Most people don't seem to understand the purpose of the event.

After covering the ride twice now, even we here at Naked Australians remain confused as to its purpose. Everyone involved seems to have a different cause. How can the ride be effective when it does not have a very clear, distinct point or purpose?

We asked people on the streets what they thought of the ride in Newcastle - people not involved in the ride. We asked them what they thought of these naked people riding through Newcastle.

The most common reply was that they had no idea why the riders were doing it. Most thought it was funny and good spirited. But absolutely none could understand the purpose.

The question, therefore, that we at Naked Australians are asking is what is the Naked Bike Ride trying to achieve?

We think if organisers started by forming a clear answer to this question, they would have a better foundation for the event in the future.

Hi G-man,

"You never rode in an event you organised yourself and now you are complaining about the people that did ride............hmmmmmmm"

No.  I was complaining about the way the police behaved towards the riders.  They threatened them with arrest if they did go nude, even though I explained to them that nudity at the bike ride is the individual's choice.  They didn't respect that precedent and still decided to harass the participants.

"And did you also say you never rode because of a lack of FEMALE participants? Is that because you find male bodies offensive or because as a male you would rather look at females naked."

That was one of the reasons.  The other was that the police really pissed me right off, telling me how to run my event.  Last year I had about 10 women participate in it, this year only 1.

"What about the cause? I was under the impression the ride was about Carbon Emmissions primarily not the promotion of Nudism."

The ride is protesting naked over the burning of fossil fuels and using the body as a canvas to advertise the causes the ride supports that are also pertinent to environmental destruction.

"Oh and did you then complain in another thread about the content of Naked Australians having suggestive poses after you have stated you never rode because there were no female riders."

I'm confused here.  There is a difference between a nudist photo and one that is suggestive, regardless of gender.

"I photographed the Newcastle ride and the people were nothing but positive and dedicated to their cause. They busted their balls to make a good show and were not put off when the police turned up and arrested someone. The bulk of the riders were male but the organiser still particpated and never complained about the people that did give him the support and certainly never said he wouldn't ride due to a lack of females. They had a thouroughly great day and by all accounts a great after party too."

That's great to hear.  :-)