About Me - Shaun McMurtrie. Naked. Exposed. The Real Me.

THE KID • THE EDUCATOR • THE GAY MAN • THE NAKED GUY • THE EXHIBITIONIST • THE EXPOSER • THE AVERAGE JOE • THE MAN I AM BECOMING

FEEL FREE TO EXAMINE ANY PART OF ME...AND MY STORY.

Hi. I'm Shaun McMurtrie. I'm a 48-year-old man from rural central Pennsylvania.

I'm an educator, lifelong learner, storyteller, nudist, exhibitionist, and—by my own admission—a complicated person.

You've already seen some of the naked guy on this website. And as you read this, you are about to see more!

However, this is the part where I tell you about the person underneath him.

Shaun McMurtrie nude, with a black cape and half mask as Phantom of the Opera.

Then I discovered theater.

One audition in tenth grade changed the trajectory of my life. I went from trying to disappear into the background to discovering that I actually enjoyed being on stage—taking risks, making people laugh, making people think, and being seen.

Granted, I was being seen in character. That made it considerably safer.

But something had changed.

The kid who had spent years trying not to be noticed discovered that being seen could actually feel pretty damn good.

Looking back, I think that kid never really disappeared.

He just found a much more interesting way to be seen...

THE KID

Learning how to be seen.

I grew up in a conservative household in a conservative community. We never had a lot of money or material possessions, but I did have a lot of love and care from my family—even when they didn't agree with my choices and decisions in life.

I was a pretty typical nerdy kid in a lot of ways. I loved school, did well academically, and during my younger years I had aspirations of becoming a cartoonist. I was quiet and shy, and I was bullied a lot throughout much of middle and high school for being “different.”

Because of that, I spent a lot of my younger years trying not to attract too much attention to myself. I learned how to blend in. I learned how to stay quiet. I learned how to make sure the bullies didn't notice me.

I was accepted into a very competitive doctoral program, worked my ass off for three years, and earned my degree.

The strange thing about Harvard wasn't just earning the degree.

It was realizing that the kid who once assumed certain things were meant for other people had somehow become one of those people.

After Harvard, I returned to higher education and worked with future teachers, helping support them through their own teaching experiences at the college level.

Education has shaped a huge part of who I am.

I still believe curiosity and a sense of wonder about people and the world around us are among the most important qualities a person can have.

I hope I never lose mine.

Education has always been an important part of my life. I've always taken a certain amount of pride in my intelligence and academic abilities, and I've always believed that education can be a great equalizer—giving people knowledge, opportunity, and agency in a world that doesn't always distribute those things equally.

That's one of the reasons education became my career.

I earned both my bachelor's and master's degrees from Penn State University and eventually became a high-school mathematics teacher. I spent thirteen years teaching in the classroom, followed by three years in educational administration.

Along the way, I became deeply involved in education and teacher advocacy, including serving as president of my teachers' union.

Eventually, I left public education to pursue a doctoral degree at Harvard University.

Yes. THE Harvard.

To this day, I'm still occasionally surprised that happened.

Going to Harvard had been a childhood fantasy—one of those things I assumed was simply unattainable for “someone like me.” I actually applied on a whim, almost as a joke or a personal challenge to myself to be a little bolder.

It worked.

Shaun McMurtrie full frontal nude in a graduation cap and gown open in the front.

THE EDUCATOR

Learning how to think.

I've dated women exclusively. My best friend is also my former partner. She and I dated for three years, but we've been best friends for more than twenty years.

She is my chosen person.

When people see us together, they sometimes assume we're married because we share a bond that looks a lot like a husband-and-wife relationship. Just without the sex part. So, for some husbands and wives out there, I guess it is exactly like them.

Maybe bisexual is a better term for me? I sometimes use that word with people who know me well because they understand the nuance.

But in many of the nudist and exhibitionist spaces where I spend time—and where I'm generally trying to cultivate interest from other men—I usually just say I'm gay.

It's easier.

I'm a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community. You can pick whichever letter you think fits me best if you absolutely need to.

Labels aren't particularly my thing.

Shaun McMurtrie full frontal nude holding a rainbow pride flag behind him.

THE GAY MAN

Learning what attraction means to me.

Remember when I introduced myself as a complicated person?

There is probably no better example of that than my sexuality.

“Um, wait. But Shaun, on your homepage, you clearly and proudly said that you're a gay man.”

Yep. That's the container that fits me most closely without requiring a ten-minute explanation.

Fortunately, I have a little more room here.

I am sexually attracted to men. I enjoy having sex with men, and I think cocks and balls are pretty damn sexy body parts.

At the same time, I don't experience a desire for a romantic relationship with a man. I want camaraderie with men. I want more male friends. I want to meet interesting men, build friendships, and become more involved in the gay male community.

But romantic love with a man? That's simply not something I've ever felt a desire for—or at least not one I've recognized in myself.

My love of nudity started when I was a teenager.

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania meant woods and farmland as far as the eye could see. When I was out in the woods and nobody was around, I used to enjoy stripping naked on the hiking trails and going skinny-dipping in the stream.

At first, nudity wasn't really sexual for me. It was about freedom.

There was something about feeling the wind against my body, the sun on my skin, and being completely unencumbered by clothing that felt incredibly liberating.

When I eventually bought my own home and had my own space, I discovered that I loved that same freedom there.

Being naked simply felt good. It felt natural. It felt like one less thing between me and the world.

So yes, I'm a confirmed nudist.

But there was something more waiting underneath that..

Shaun McMurtrie standing nude in the woods with an erection.

THE NAKED GUY

Learning what freedom feels like.

And suddenly a room full of naked men was looking directly at my erect cock.

I expected embarrassment.

Instead, I felt something completely different.

I felt proud.

Not because I had somehow performed for those men. I hadn't. My body had simply reacted to the situation. But for the first time, I realized that being seen didn't necessarily make me vulnerable. Sometimes being seen could make me feel powerful.

The erection didn't lead to sex. It passed. A few others happened that night as well. They were simply my body reacting to an unfamiliar combination of nudity, attention, attraction, and acceptance.

What stayed with me was the feeling. I didn't have to hide. I didn't have to apologize for my body. I didn't have to pretend that being looked at made me uncomfortable.

I liked being seen.

And ever since that night, I have loved the experience of other men looking at me totally naked and exposed.

Shaun McMurtrie full frontal nude double bicep pose.

THE EXHIBITIONIST

Learning what it feels like to be seen.

Eventually, I decided to step up my game and try social nudity.

I found a group of men online who gathered monthly for a non-sexual naked party. You know—the usual. Appetizers. Drinks. Friendly games of pool. Good conversations.

And twenty-five naked men.

I was nervous, but I was also enjoying the shared experience of being completely free of clothes around other people. Then, in the middle of an ordinary conversation, the gentleman I was talking to casually said: “I was glancing at you earlier and I just have to tell you that you have a really nice-looking cock.”

He said it as casually as someone might compliment my eyes or my smile.

It wasn't intended as a sexual proposition. It was simply an honest compliment about my body. But you can probably imagine what happened next.

I felt the blood rush directly to my dick, and I got hard. Quickly.

Before I could even figure out how I was going to excuse myself to the bathroom, someone nearby noticed and said something along the lines of: “Wow, Shaun. Really nice hardon, buddy.”

Shaun McMurtrie lounging on his side nude.

The truth isn't risky—or it shouldn't be.

Sometimes what's underneath is thoughtful.

Sometimes it's complicated.

Sometimes it's vulnerable.

Sometimes it's ridiculous.

But usually it's very, very naked..

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I STOP HIDING?

That's a big part of what this website is about.

There is emotional exposure. Intellectual exposure. Sexual exposure. Professional exposure. Spiritual exposure.

There is something incredibly vulnerable—and strangely liberating—about allowing another person to see something real about you without immediately trying to cover it back up.

I've spent a lot of my life wondering how much of myself I could safely show other people. These days, I'm much more interested in asking a different question:

Eventually, I realized that what fascinated me wasn't simply nudity.

It was exposure.

I'm interested in nudity in all of its forms:

The comfort it provides
The freedom I feel
The openness it creates
The pride I feel
The attention I receive
The arousal I experience

But physical nudity is only one kind of exposure.

THE EXPOSER

Learning what happens when I stop hiding.

Shaun McMurtrie seated, reading a book naked with an erection.

Shaun McMurtrie standing naked in his kitchen holding a blooming red Christmas cactus.

A Blue British shorthair cat with a beach background.

Baxter Earl Grey

THE AVERAGE JOE

Because underneath all of this, I'm still just Shaun.

Beyond the nudity, the degrees, the sexuality, the exhibitionism, and all the other complicated stuff, I'm really just a regular guy.

I love my best furry buddy, Baxter, and enjoy cuddling with him every chance I get.

I enjoy gardening and have more houseplants than my house reasonably has room for.

I drink tea every day—hot or iced—and it's pretty much my go-to beverage.

I love cartoons, especially adult cartoons. This probably isn't surprising considering I once wanted to be a cartoonist and have an entire leg covered in cartoon tattoos.

But my all-time favorite cartoon is Garfield. Garfield and I are the same age—he first appeared in 1978—and I've always felt a strange connection to him and to the way Jim Davis incorporated pieces of himself into the character, Jon Arbuckle.

Food is another love of mine. I love cooking, especially for other people. I consider food one of my love languages, and if I've spent several hours cooking something for you, there's a pretty good chance you matter to me.

When I don't know what I want to eat? Italian. It's always going to be Italian. (Did I mention how much I like Garfield?)

I love the beach, too. If I could go anywhere in the world, it would probably be to the beach, near the beach, or somewhere tropical. I love ocean air, an island vibe, warm weather, and the feeling that life has temporarily decided not to take itself so seriously.

That version of me—the guy cooking Italian food, drinking tea, hanging out with Baxter, tending to too many plants, watching cartoons, and dreaming about the beach—is just as much a part of this website as the naked guy.

It is all just me.

Maybe that's why this website exists now. It's an experiment. A place where I can share the things I'm interested in, the things I've learned, the things I've experienced, the people I've met, the places I go, and the person I'm becoming.

Some of it will be serious.

Some of it will be thoughtful.

Some of it will be ridiculous.

Some of it will be completely inappropriate for polite company.

But all of it will be honest.

And, if I can have my way...

All of it will be naked.

So now I'm interested in something a little different.

I want to be authentic.

I want to stay curious.

I want to meet interesting people.

I want to experience new things.

I want to tell good stories.

I want to laugh a lot.

I want to spend time at the beach.

I want to cook for people I care about.

I want to make new friends.

I want to explore parts of myself that I spent years keeping hidden.

And I want to become considerably less concerned about whether somebody else thinks I'm living my life correctly.

THE MAN I AM BECOMING

Still figuring out what's next.

So, where am I going? Honestly? I'm not sure.

I don't have all of this figured out. Sometimes I still wonder whether I'm making the right choices, whether I'm being too open, whether I'm chasing something meaningful or simply chasing novelty. I'm learning to be comfortable with not having an answer to every question.

I've already had the careers, the degrees, the accomplishments, the titles, the responsibilities, and the expectations that were supposed to define a successful life. And somewhere along the way, I realized something uncomfortable:

I didn't necessarily feel successful.

I had become pretty good at building a life that looked successful from the outside without always being certain that it felt like mine from the inside.