Berlin city authorities have allowed women to swim topless in all city pools.
A resident of Berlin was outraged that she was not allowed to swim in the pool bare-chested, although there are no formal prohibitions on this.
The woman emphasized that the general rules for using swimming pools provide for the wearing of “swimming suits available for sale” – without any clarifications regarding gender differences and restrictions.
The city council of Berlin considered the complaint and decided to further specify in the rules that “persons of the female sex, as well as persons with breasts that are perceived as female” are not obliged to wear the upper part of the swimsuit in the city pools.
“The adopted decision creates equal rights for all Berliners, whether they are men, women or non-binary persons, and also creates legal certainty for the staff of bathing facilities,” the city hall explained.
The head of the ombudsman’s office of the State Office for Equal Treatment – against Discrimination, Dr. Doris Liebscher said, “The ombudsman very much welcomes the decision of the bathing establishments because it creates equal rights for all Berliners, whether male, female or non-binary and because it also creates legal certainty for the staff in the bathing establishments. Now it is a matter of the regulation being applied consistently and no more evictions or house bans being issued. The decision shows once again how successful the establishment of the independent LADS ombudsman is: It supports citizens and administration in settling complaints of discrimination quickly, free of charge and out of court.”
