Historically Gay Nude Beach Under Threat After NPWS Ups Patrols & Enforces Clothing

Northern Rivers locals are concerned they may lose an iconic LGBTQIA+ haven in Kings beach after NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) began patrolling the area.

Kings Beach has been a LGBTQIA+ hub for decades, with many of its visitors choosing to bathe nude, however NSW NPWS have started to enforce non-optional clothing.

An alert added to the NPWS website last year reads: “Kings beach continues to be a place for the LGBTIQA+ community to enjoy, however due to the increased visitation and the shared nature of this beloved destination, Kings beach is not a clothing-optional area.”

ACON Northern Rivers hosted an information session in partnership with NPWS earlier this year to discuss why the beach was becoming regulated as a non-clothing optional beach, and to “workshop how the value and importance of the area to the LGBTQIA+ community can be recognised”.

Speaking to The Guardian, a spokesperson for ACON said they agreed to assist NPWS because they “considered that some members of our communities would prefer to hear about changes from an LGBTQ+ organisation rather than government authorities.”

“Kings beach has been an important place for our communities for decades, particularly for those who lived through the AIDS crisis,” they said. “ACON has facilitated discussions about the history and significance of the area to the LGBTQ+ community and would support efforts to acknowledge this important history.”

In a statement to Star Observer, NSW NPWS said that it “recognises the long connection that the LGBTIQA+ community has had with Kings Beach and does not wish this to diminish this in the future.”

Fight for LGBTQIA+ cultural recognition of Kings Beach

Kings beach has been a significant cultural space for local queer communities for at least fifty years, especially during the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The ashes of several gay men had been scattered on the beach.

Locals are campaigning for cultural recognition of the beach as a LGBTQIA+ space, and want to see it given the same respect as similar international beaches have received, such as Hanlon’s beach in Canada, the site of the first Canada Pride in 1971.

Campaigners have written to Minister for Climate and Environment Penny Sharpe to ask that the beach’s significance to the LGBTQ+ community be recognised under the Broken Head Nature Reserve Plan of Management.

Sharpe’s office said that the minister is aware of the issue and is planning to take action.

“People go to queer beaches to feel safe, away from the judgment and sometimes violence of mainstream beach users,” campaigner Rohan Anderson said to The Guardian.

“Kings is the only place we know of that one can hold a same-sex partner’s hand without consciously assessing the risks, judgments, safety or politics of the situation first. It’s true cultural freedom and this needs to be protected.”

Star Observer reached out to ACON for direct comment, but did not receive a response by time of publishing.