AANR and TNS: What's the difference?
Recently someone asked me my opinion about whether I recommended membership in either AANR or TNS over the other. Both AANR and TNS provide services to all nudists and both do what they can for everyone, member or not, to protect our right to be nude and to keep us notified of threats and potential problem areas. Over the past decade it seems that AANR has been moving away from being primarily a club oriented organization toward one that is much more focused on member input and representation. Many clubs and resorts provide discounts to both AANR and TNS members equally.
Being a member of both organizations, I do see some difference. Both organizations take the protection of nudists rights seriously. AANR relies more on lobbyists and legal counsel. As an example, in 2005, their lobbying efforts were successful in having nude recreation exempted from anti-nudity laws in West Virginia, Tennessee, California, Dawson County, Georgia and Lake County, Florida. The Naturist Society through their adjunct activism organization, Naturist Action Committee (NAC), use more of a grassroots strategy by marshalling support among TNS members with their Action Alerts and Advisories to counter threats from anti-nudist forces. The NAC does however get involved in the courts on behalf of nudist rights when circumstances require it. Both organizations often join together in cooperative efforts, working together in attempts to neutralize threats to nudist rights. Both have been fairly successful in helping to educate the general public and in helping nudists to gain greater understanding and acceptance in public opinion with the positive information that they are able to put out through the media.
One fundamental difference I see in the two organizations is that AANR has historically seemed more of an urban nudist organization, satisfied with maintaining the status quo by urging nudists to participate in social nudity through established nudist clubs and resorts. They are the definitive leaders I think in nude recreation and travel. TNS on the other hand, with more of a focus on naturism, or the experience of nudism while interacting with the outdoor environment has been more of a leader in working toward the expansion of nudist rights in the public arena such as in attempts to increase the availability of and access to public beaches and public lands for use by nudists. In fact, TNS founder, Lee Baxandall was one of the pioneers of the free beach movement. I think it would be fair to say that AANR is primarily social nudity focused while TNS is more public nudity focused.
TNS puts out a very good quarterly color magazine, Nude & Natural, more commonly referred to by naturists as N. AANR has attempted to publish magazines in the past but never enjoyed success in its attempts. AANR does however offer an informative monthly newspaper, The Bulletin. Both publish guidebooks and sell T-shirts, and both have excellent and informative websites. AANR which is comprised of a national headquarters and seven separate regions representing six different areas in the United States and Western Canada, hold both regional and national conventions. TNS hosts regional gatherings.
Beyond slight differences in focus and cosmetics, both organizations share similar values, philosophies and goals. The bottom line is that we have two effective, hard working and professional national organizations helping to protect our rights and furthering our common interests and goals. That they each go about it in slightly different ways only means more ideas are being developed and implemented and with that often comes greater success.
At the present time, membership annual dues in the two organizations are within $2 of the same cost. Certainly I see some different benefits to membership in each organization which is why I chose to become a member of both. However, that isnt for everyone and many nudists interested in affiliating with a national organization may only wish to join one of them. In that case, I dont think you could go wrong choosing either of them. Perhaps you might simply base your decision on whether you consider yourself primarily a nudist or naturist and then select the group most representative of your own personal philosophy with regard to nudism.
I am currently a member of both AANR and TNS. I joined AANR first because it was required when I became a member of a nudist club in New England. I have now moved but the club I am a member of now is also a 100% AANR club so I have to have an AANR membership. I have never attended any of the AANR conventions and, from what I have heard about them, have no desire to. I am also a member of TNS and have attended a number of their Festivals and Gatherings where I have had a great time.
All of the posts have been excellent on this topic. Both are fine organizations. There is one major difference though which is why we support AANR more and why my husband is on the Board of Directors of AANR Western Region and AANR National's PR committee.
AANR is working hard to make nude recreation mainstream. I've been to Europe many times and nude recreation is very mainstream there. It is said 1 out of 3 Germans vacations at a nudist resort each year. In Spain, EVERY beach is legally topless and they have lots of great nude beaches there too. AANR wants America to be comfortable with nudity like Europe.
By mainstreaming nude recreation in America, it makes it harder for governments to try to outlaw it. Here in California for instance KTLA-TV in August ran a poll of 2500 people. 63% said Women should be allowed to go topless sunbathing on California beaches. Tripadvisor had a poll of 22,000 Americans in August and 48% said they would like to try a nude vacation, up from 31% last year.
By mainstreaming nude recreation, AANR, when they lobby governments can say, we are not a fringe group. We represent the wishes of mainstream America. And they have statistics to show.
AANR works with a major PR firm, Y partnership which is highly regarded in the travel industry. Tom says they're great to work with. AANR's investments in PR over the years have made nude recreation popular today.
And you have to show nude recreation is popular. That's how nude beaches like Haulover and Rooster Rock become legally sanctioned. By showing lots of people enjoy nude recreation.
Finally, Tom and I have had some people e-mail us in the past saying, they don't care about the popularity of nudist resorts or AANR or TNS, they have their favorite nude beach they go to where they see the same friends year after year and they don't want strangers finding out about their beach, so don't tell more people about nudism.
I tell them their beach probably originally got nude use from people who were TNS or AANR members. And they probably learned about nude recreeation and beaches in the US online from people years ago who belonged to these organizations. Finally, there is nothing more boring than going to a nudist resort or nude beach and being one fo the few people there. Social nudsim is much more fun. Without AANR & TNS there would be very few people at nude beaches as it would be really frowned on by mainstream society. AANR and TNS and their members get the word out that nude recreation is fun. And that's why there are nude beaches in the US.
Go to https://aanr.com and https://naturistsociety.com For more info
I have only been a member of TNS for 2 years, but we had a member move out of town and left their collection of TNS magazines going back to the early 90's. Going through them it seemed to me that TNS was geared to a much broader nudist group. More international, with reports or stories from many countries and their nudist destinations.
AANR is just more locally focused it seems to me, i.e., they talk about resorts in the U.S. which is no surprise given their name.
I think TNS can help you plan very exotic and fun vacations to nudist destinations outside the states.
Now if you really wanna break it down to bare bones...TNS has a color magazine and AANR has a newspaper thingy.
:)
Just my 2 cents.
Stay Naked!
Good info in first post.We used to be members of both but the TNS mag. seams to focus on places outside the US and on travel, which is not available to us so we dropped it. We do have friends that attend the Midwest conf. and love it. We have not made it yet.
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