MuckFlash

Kingman, AZ -23 June 2009- A group of dedicated nudists living in a small, self-contained community in the Arizona desert have initiated a concerted defense against what they say is a year-long “smear campaign” put on by local authorities who disapprove of their lifestyle. Kingman officials counter that the group is operating illegally and has committed continued public decency infractions despite several warnings. After weeks of tense discussions, the Kingman Sheriff’s Office has threatened to shut the commune down unless the inhabitants don clothes and pay some back taxes.

The group, which runs a compound known locally as the Lunar Sunshine Ranch, has been in Kingman for nearly thirty years with a national reputation for environmentally sound and uninhibited living. Lunar Sunshine’s population peaked in the late 1960s with nearly 300 commune members but has since dwindled to around 30. The ranch still grows its own food and actively promotes nudism. Many current Lunar Sunshine Ranch inhabitants have lived on the ranch since its inception, with an average age of 62.

Indeed, commune members allege that their age has more to do with the recent crackdown than anything else. “It’s just a lot of uptight people from down the road who can’t handle a bit of cellulite in the sun,” said Phil Liggins, one of Lunar Sunshine’s administrators. “Sure, it was all fine and dandy when the hippie chicks were in their firm-bodied 20s, but of course when everything comes down to Earth, it’s suddenly indecent. Outrageous.”

Local authorities, however, insist that the ranch has simply flaunted the law for too long. “Old naked people or young naked people is not the overriding perogative in this particular situation,” said Kingman Sheriff Kyle Lovett. “The facts of the situation are simply that they’ve compromised public decency and avoided paying their taxes.” The Sheriff has given the ranch 30 days to address a long list of violations, and he has warned that he won’t hesitate to shut the ranch down and seize its assets if the order is ignored.

Lunar Sunshine’s residents, however, have so far refused to turn the other cheek. “They can put my naked ass in jail if they want, but I’ll be back. We’ll all be back here. It’s our home,” said Latwonda Jackson, a recent arrival at Lunar Sunshine. “I came here to retire, and I’ll be goddamned if the Man is going to come in here and get all up in my lifestyle.” Though less outspoken, Lunar Sunshine’s administrative council echoed this sentiment, if indirectly. Beginning in 2009, the ranch has set aside a portion of the proceeds from their crops to buy as much ad space and air time as possible in Kingman to argue their cause.

The media campaign, themed as “Your Friendly Naked Neighbors,” features photo essays, interviews and documentary-style biographies of the ranch and its inhabitants. The goal, says Liggins, is to overturn stereotypes of nudism as “gross,” particularly when practiced by the eldery. “You look in Kingman now, and there’s no running from it,” he said. “We’re here, and we’re naked, and that’s our picture on your bus, and that’s our life on your TV screen.”

Other residents are unmoved, especially Charles Feigan, a business owner in Kingman. “I can’t walk 20 feet without seeing a pruny, deformed bottom or a 60 year old woman’s bare bust. This is a quality of life issue,” he said. Feigan also maintains that the media campaign has only exacerbated the stigma the nearby colony already projected on local businesses. “Nudity is not good for business. How can I possibly close a sale with this kind of thing going on?” Feigan said. “It’s just awful.”

It’s unclear, however, if there is legal recourse for the city of Kingman to ban the ranch itself, and any move against Lunar Sunshine risks a prolonged battle in court. At the end of the 30 day period, representatives of Lunar Sunshine plan to challenge Sheriff Lovett’s plans as long and as vigorously as possible. “This is the land of the free,” remarked Liggins as he stretched out on a sunny field at the edge of the ranch, sans clothes. “And just look how free I can be here.”