Naked Welsh cyclist arrested during seaside ride
Stuart Gilmour upset by ‘negativity’ over his nudity
Photo by:
Stuart Gilmour/Facebook
Stuart Gilmour was enjoying a good old fashioned naked ride in the sunshine on Sunday, except it ended in a jail cell. The 44-year-old was riding from Prestatyn to Colwyn Bay in Wales, wearing only a pair of sneakers. According to North Wales Live, Gilmour spends most of his days naked, when he’s not working as a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driver.
Most people seemed OK with it
According to Gilmour, the majority of people were polite and friendly as he rode by. However, someone along the way must have reported to police as he was ultimately arrested, and spent a few hours in jail. He was eventually released as the CCTV footage showed he wasn’t actually indecently exposing himself. Many on social media said that his behaviour was disturbing, and said what he did was completely unacceptable.
“I find the negativity upsetting at times. It’s just people attacking me before they know me and jumping to conclusions. The vast majority of people I encounter react positively, and I try to engage with people who aren’t onboard and talk to them about naturism and why I’m so keen to promote it.” He said that his lifestyle has nothing to do with any sort of kink, and that it’s not sexually motivated. Rather, it’s all about body positivity and contentment.
Comfortable in his own skin
“For me, naturism is about pure comfort. I’m more comfortable naked than when I’m wearing clothes. I feel like I’m judged more when I’ve got clothes on, if they’re too tight etc. Naturists are some of the nicest people you could meet. They don’t judge you on the way you look but on the kind of person you are,” he added. “I think the problem is that people associate nudity with sexuality. Naturism has nothing to do with sexuality.”
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“A lot of it is about body positivity, which is a big thing for me,” he said. “We’re told we’ve got to be on this diet or the other, if you look at men’s magazines, for example, you’ve got guys who are ripped with huge muscles. That’s not attainable for a normal guy working nine to five and looking after a family. I’m just trying to promote being happy with who you are because we are only here for a short amount of time, so just accept the person you are and enjoy life.”
Gilmour posted about the incident on his Facebook page. “After a few hours they had looked at my social media accounts and checked all the cctv available on the coastal path, it was clear by all the waving and photos people were taking and smiles the right decision was made that, firstly, I was not being a nuisance and secondly I was not indecently exposing myself, the naked body is not deemed indecent by law.”
