The Freedom to be Yourself campaign (TFTBY or FTBY) was founded in 1999 by Vincent Bethell. The group, according to Vincent Bethell is about "the right to be naked in public

Public nudity

Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...

". The campaign is about non-sexual public nakedness. Supporters of the TFTBY organized several grassroots naked protests in public in London; there have also been protests in Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry, and some in the United States.

January 10, 2001: Vincent Bethell made legal history by being the first defendant to stand trial naked in a UK court. The trial was at Southwark Crown Court London. Vincent was charged with the crime of "Public Nuisance", which carries a maximum sentence of Life imprisonment. Vincent was naked throughout this court case, furthermore he was found unanimously not guilty by the jury. Prior to Vincent's historic court case he spent 5 months naked in solitary confinement (Segregation Unit) at Brixton Prison (London). In December 2000, fellow activist Russell Shaw Higgs joined Vincent naked in Brixton prison. Russell had a letter about his imprisonment published shortly before being released when all charges were dropped after Vincent's acquittal.

In 2003 TFTBY was renamed Stop Racist Human Skin Phobia (SRHSP) because according to Vincent: "...this clearly highlights the irrational prejudice towards the unclothed human body."

See also

• Clothes free organizations
• Stephen Gough
  Stephen Gough
  Stephen Gough , also known as Steve Gough and the Naked Rambler, is a British former Royal Marine turned activist from Eastleigh, Hampshire, famous for walking the length of Great Britain from Land's End to John o' Groats in 2003–2004 with nothing on except boots, socks, rucksack and sometimes a...
  
  
• Daniel Lorenz Johnson
  Daniel Lorenz Johnson
  Daniel Lorenz Johnson is an American permaculturist, artist, activist, community organizer and writer who has worked for the advancement of various progressive/social liberalist causes through interdisciplinary, collaborative projects involving grassroots politics, media art and popular culture...
  
  
• Public nudity
  Public nudity
  Public nudity or nude in public refers to nudity not in an entirely private context. It refers to a person appearing nude in a public place or to be seen from a public place. It also includes nudity in a semi-public place, where the general public is free to enter, such as a shopping mall...
  
  
• Timeline of significant non-sexualized public nudity activities
• Terri Sue Webb
  Terri Sue Webb
  Terri Sue Webb is an activist living in Bend, Oregon, who was one of few activists in the United States active in The Freedom to be Yourself campaign. She has been imprisoned and released multiple times for public nudity. On several occasions, she has remained fully nude while incarcerated, often...
  
  

Filmography

• Naked Protest Documentary by Nick Hillel, 1999. Aired on Channel 4 (UK) as part of "The Other Side" series
• Being Human A film by Lisa Seidenberg, 31 minutes, 2003 Metro Video

Further reading

• Nude and Natural 20.4 Summer 2001. Article by Jim Meyer on TFTBY titled Vincent's Vision: Is Vincent Bethell a menace to decent society? Or the best thing to happen to naturism in years?. Includes an interview with Vincent Bethell. Seven pages with ten pictures.
• Nude and Natural 21.2 Winter 2002. The Bethell Approach: A Protest Colloquy/The Bethell Approach: Is the Time for Mass Nude Protests Upon Us? Includes statements by Vincent Bethell, Mark Nisbet, Cec Cinder, Paul Rapoport, Les Rootsey, Morley Shloss, T.A. Wyner, and Mark Storey. Eight Pages, four pictures. Briefly Noted Vincent Victorious.
• Nude and Natural Vol 21.3: 24–28, Spring 2002.Terri Sue Webb: An American Bethell/Beyond Safe Havens: Oregon's Terri Sue Webb (written by Daniel Johnson
  Daniel Lorenz Johnson
  Daniel Lorenz Johnson is an American permaculturist, artist, activist, community organizer and writer who has worked for the advancement of various progressive/social liberalist causes through interdisciplinary, collaborative projects involving grassroots politics, media art and popular culture...
  
  ).

External links

• Stop Racist Human Skin Phobia (formerly The Freedom to be Yourself) official site. Maintained by Vincent Bethell.
• Shame Breakers group Yahoo email group about demonstrating nude in public for the freedom to be naked on public urban lands.
• Coventry & Warwickshire coverage
• Videos from the original 'Freedom to be Yourself' UK campaign
• Vincent Bethell's motivations and his views about fame.