Naked retreat: Not in Kansas Anymore.

• Author: Lynch, Michael W.
• Position: Citings - Nudist camp frequented by gay men, lesbians, pagans, refused permit, Toganoxie, Kansas - Brief Article

"THE PAGAN COMMUNITY is convinced it's about religion, the gay and lesbian community is sure it's about sexuality, and the naturists are certain it's about nudity," someone named Clarity wrote in a letter to users of Camp Gaea, a controversial Kansas resort. "What's a poor naked pantheist faerie to do?"

The "it" to which Clarity refers is Leavenworth County's refusal in November to renew a special-use permit for the resort, a 168-acre retreat in Tonganoxie, Kansas, that was once a church camp but now caters to pagans, gays, and nudists. Normally, the renewal of such a permit is a formality. But Camp Gaea's neighbors petitioned the county to shut it down, which meant a unanimous vote was required to renew. Two of the county's three commissioners voted against the camp.

"Traffic was the concern," says John Zoellner, planning director for Leavenworth County. "The types of individuals using the facility was a concern."

Neighbor Beth Hecht was certainly concerned about both. "As a mother of two young children, everyone wants to raise their kids in a healthy and safe community, and they definitely don't fit the idea of that kind of...