Englishman Steve Gough, the naked Rambler, continues to be imprisoned in an Edinburgh, Scotland, jail, steadfastly refusing to dress under any circumstance, exercising his God-given right to wear only his smile. His incarceration has been extended several times as he’s insisted on presenting himself in court without clothing, drawing the ire of local judges.
This isn’t a story about nudism, truthfully, but about human rights, justice and morality. Gough has committed absolutely no real crime and in another jurisdiction, such as Spain, where the constitution entrenches the right to be naked in public, he could never be jailed for his actions. If he were a member of a religious sect that prescribes nudity as a means to commune with God, surely he could claim his act as a religious freedom and receives far more support than he has. Instead, he has stood his ground that it his right to be naked if he chooses and that it isn’t immoral. The last Pope has said as much!
His jailers have prohibited him from receiving visitors unless he puts clothes on, which he has rejected. He has been incarcerated twenty times since he began his first of two naked treks across England in 2003. Despite these interruptions, both naked walks were completed as planned, the latest in 2006. His latest arrest dates back to May, 2006, when he disrobed aboard a flight. He was arrested upon landing in Edinburgh and initially sentenced to six months in jail.
The world’s media have given his story much attention, often classified as “News of the weird”, but oddly enough, nudists, the people who should be supporting his cause more than anybody have been rather silent. Nudist Day wishes to change this by drawing our community’s attention to his cause as well as his plight. We haven’t had much luck in contacting him so far, but we’ll keep trying until we do, because this issue is one that affects us all as human beings.

Related Links:

• BBC article about Gough’s first walk

• Web site dedicated to Gough
• Wikipedia about Gough