The Berlin state government said Thursday that women will soon be able to swim topless in the city’s public pools alongside males. Following a discrimination claim by a woman who was denied the right to swim topless in a swimming pool in the capital, new bathing regulations were implemented permitting everyone to do so. The unnamed woman, who demanded that women be allowed to swim topless like males, went to the senate’s office of the ombudsperson for equal treatment, the Berlin senate for justice, diversity, and anti-discrimination stated in a written statement.
Berlin pools used to ask women who exposed their breasts to cover up or leave the water
In reaction to the complaint and the ombudsman’s involvement in the case, the Berliner Baederbetriebe, which runs the city’s public pools, decided to change its clothing rules, the statement said. “The ombudsperson’s office very much welcomes the decision of the Baederbetriebe, because it establishes equal rights for all Berliners, whether male, female, or non-binary, and because it also creates legal certainty for the staff at the Baederbetriebe,” said Doris Liebscher, the head of the ombudsperson’s office.
Berlin pools used to ask women who exposed their breasts to cover up or leave the water, and they sometimes forbade them from coming back. The legislation must now be administered consistently, and no future expulsions or house bans should be given, Liebscher stated. It was unclear right away just when the new bathing regulations would go into effect.