women can now swim topless in Berlin swimming pools

Women will now be able to swim topless in swimming pools in Berlin, Germany, the German capital’s swimming pool management announced on Thursday (9 March). This announcement follows a referral to the Berlin office for the fight against discrimination by a woman who felt she was discriminated against compared to men who can swim bare-chested.

Following this referral, “Berliner Bäder-Betriebe will in future apply its house rules and bathing regulations in a gender-equal manner”announced the management in a press release. “Shirtless swimming will be possible in the future for female people or for people with female chest type”she says.

The anti-discrimination mediation service of the city of Berlin has “highly commended” of this decision. “It is now a question of applying the regulations in a concrete way and of no longer pronouncing expulsion or prohibition of access”argues its director, Doris Liebscher, in a press release.