Thank you for inviting me. I am the founder of Starkers Club which was established in London in 2003.
 
Starkers is an entirely different sort of event and we are certainly one of a kind and on the cutting edge of new and adventurous club nights in the UK. As such we have found ourselves presented with all sorts of challenges like anything new or different does. In much the same way that BDSM clubs faced opposition to their very existence ten years ago, and the gay clubs which faced similar opposition twenty-five years ago, Starkers has had to fight for its survival. We have been forced to change venue or temporarily closed down four times since we began. Most recently we have been compelled to postpone an event following complaints about us existing at all coming from a newspaper based in Scotland!
 
Starkers, as the name implies, is a naked adventure. It is a nightclub where all our patrons are free from their clothes – although obviously people do not arrive naked! Our intention has been to create a modern day Garden of Eden where people are free to socialise and enjoy themselves nude in the company of others in a safe and consensual environment. Starkers was set up because the benefits of being confident and happy when naked are clear – especially for young people. Being able to be nude, in a safe and lawful environment is extremely important to all of us here today. It is the basis of everything we stand for – the freedom to be yourself without fear of persecution. Like all nightclubs Starkers is for adults only and poses no risk to minors or anyone else who would wish to be shielded from the sight of naked people because we are indoors and impose strict controls on entry to our premises.
 
We saw that naturist events in England were failing due to falling numbers of attendees and the perception that they only catered for old people and were boring with nothing to do. This was putting off young people from nudism in the UK, and lets face it – young people look best naked – when naturism is booming on the continent. Our intention was to create a Garden of Eden in London where our customers could come and be free. We have faced opposition to this idea – perhaps surprisingly – from the traditional naturist establishment who said that any event such as this, in a nightclub, could never be "naturist" because some people would have the "wrong intentions" or could become aroused by the experience. We completely reject this because we do not see why nude people should be forced to behave or think any differently to clothed people. The only difference is, that if they do become aroused – as people often do when they are in the company of someone they admire – at Starkers it is just a bit more apparent! We think that some of these self imposed rules made by naturists that date back to the 1930's are now outdated and actually inhibit the development of nudism in the UK.
 
There are many people in the UK who believe they have the right to decide what other people can or cannot do with their bodies. It should be a fundamental principle that people can do what they wish as long as everyone there is consenting and no one is being exploited. If someone in Scotland does not like "the thought" of what we are doing – this is ridiculous and they should try not to think about us if it bothers them that much.
 
Finally, we are struggling because of risible complaints like this from people who are entirely unaffected by us. The laws regarding licensing and nudity are unclear and vary from borough to borough and the interpretation of them differs. This has been a problem for us.
 
Questions:
 
#1 Have you thought about using a non-licensed premises as they do not have the restrictions on them that licensed premises do. Many fetish events do this. (UK Rude Girl)
 
Yes we have. However, we have found running an event like that as a Private Members Club imposes a lot of restrictions on us, such as not making any profit from the sale of alcohol, and not being able to advertise, and members having to have joined 48 hours in advance, which makes it commercial unviable. I am open to any suggestions about ways to do this.
 
#2 It sounds like you need some help – how can we help you? (Dr. Tuppy Owens)
 
We urgently need advice from any person who has experience or expertise on licensing matters. We also think it might be wise if the SFC in conjunction with London Fetish Scene and perhaps other organisations, establishes a fund that promoters and venue owners could contribute to (perhaps pro-rata on their attendance figures) which if the governors of this fund thought necessary could be released to help pay the expenses of obtaining legal advice, which is usually prohibitively expensive for a promoter on their own.
 
#3 What precisely is the dress code at Starkers
 
Starkers is fundamentally naked. People can decorate their bodies as long as they are still essentially nude.
 
#3A How do you define that?
 
If you would be arrested outside for wearing it, then it is fine to wear it inside Starkers!