Do we need a nude beach?

A local Sarasota beach, Casperson Beach, has become a place of controversy due to the tendency of some beachgoers to wear thongs, go topless, or no swimsuit whatsoever.  Some local residents have written letters to the editor complaining that they must shield their childrens' eyes when they visit this beach.  Others have questioned why this is so upsetting.  Click on this link to read a Sarasota Herald-Tribune column (11-14-10) that muses about how we can learn a lot about human nature from this controversy.  Are restrictions on nudity a violation of a basic human freedom (to bare one's body to the sun)?  Should every community have a place where people can go to be pubicly nude?  For a slightly different viewpoint, read Thoreau's discussion in Walden Pond about clothing...