Issa CHAIRMAN OF SuperClubs, John Issa, issued a statement yesterday charging that senior members of the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) and the Ministry of Tourism knew about the nude wedding for a long time. "If the Minister was not briefed, they must explain why," he said.
Mr. Issa said that contrary to reports, "there was never any advertising placed for the wedding, no invitation was printed and pictures circulated to the press and members of the clergy by "mischievous persons" were pictures which Playboy Magazine posed and included in an article on Hedonism III last year.
Mr. Issa said that some of the critics gave the event and the hotel more international publicity than the event justified. In addition, he said, the publicity that Jamaica garnered before and after the objections to the wedding has been phenomenal.
"I think that many persons have difficulty separating nudity from sex," Mr. Issa said. "Nudity in and of itself is neither lewd, obscene nor offensive."
The SuperClubs chairman noted that a large number of churches and charities have been happy to take donations both financial and in the form of weekends from Hedo-nism.
"We must now ask ourselves, 'why have certain persons now chosen the innocent plans for naturists to marry in the nude at Hedonism III to be what they consider a great danger to our country and culture?" he asked.
In response to questions about his right to perform marriages here, the Rev. John Cervasio of Florida, said the organisers had taken care of all the legalities.
The minister, who sometimes performs the ceremonies in the nude, said it did not offend his sensibilities and he was used to demonstrations by religious groups such as the Southern Baptists in his native United States.
"As a Christian, I have to be very tolerant of others and follow His teachings," Rev. Cervasio told The Gleaner. "Who am I to say the naked body is obscene?"
