Upcoming nudist swim night raises concerns

Concerns are mounting over an upcoming “naked water slides and wave pool” night at a city facility.

The private, after-hours event is scheduled for Jan. 14 at Southland Leisure Centre, organized by nudist group Calgary Nude Recreation. Two other events are planned for Feb. 11 and March 11.

But the group describes itself online as “family oriented and kid friendly and open to people of all ages, body types, all genders, sexual orientations, and anyone else in between,” which has some Calgarians worried about the safety of children.

An online petition created over the weekend had generated more than 2,000 signatures by Sunday afternoon, calling on Mayor Naheed Nenshi and the city to “put this event to rest” or “at least . . . make it age appropriate.”

“I respect the concept and believe in an 18+ setting,” wrote April Parker, who started the petition. “However, having naked children around a bunch of naked adults doesn’t seem like a good idea for any reason.”

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