Women can now swim topless in city's public pools - just as men can
Women in Berlin can now swim topless in the city's public pools if they choose to, in a new measure introduced by authorities to end gender double standards.
The change comes after a female swimmer said she was prevented from using one of the city's pools without covering her chest in December of last year.
She subsequently lodged a complaint with the city’s ombudsman’s office at the Senate Department for Justice, Diversity and Anti-Discrimination.
Authorities agreed the woman had been a victim of discrimination and this week announced all visitors to the German capital's pools were permitted to go topless - including women and those who identified as non-binary.
The measure has been hailed as a step forward for gender equality in the German capital, as well as being symptomatic of Germany's love of Freikoerperkultur, or "free body culture", CNN reports.
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A similar incident at a Berlin water park in the summer of 2021 saw French woman Gabrielle Lebreton seek financial compensation from the city after security guards ordered her to leave the premise when she refused to cover up her breasts.
People cool off in the public pool "Badeschiff" on river Spree in central Berlin (dpa/AFP via Getty Images)Speaking to German newspaper Die Zeit at the time about why she believed it was gender discrimination, she said: “For me — and I teach this to my son — no, there is no such difference.
"For both men and women, the breast is a secondary sexual characteristic but men have the freedom to remove their clothes when it is hot and women do not.”
In a press release on Thursday, Berlin's state government confirmed the change in policy.
“As a result of a successful discrimination complaint, the Berlin bathing establishments will in future apply their house and bathing regulations in a gender-equitable manner,” the statement read.
Dr. Doris Liebscher, the head of the ombudsmen's office, called the move a step forward for gender equality in the city.
“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,” she said.
A Berlin resident who was named only as Ida welcomed the loosening of restrictions but questioned what it would really do for gender equality.
“It is certainly great that a simple complaint has made this ‘topless’ development a reality in Berlin.
"However, I am not exactly sure how this serves gender equality,” she told CNN.
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“Women, if comfortable with their own bodies and sometimes gawking strangers, won’t have a problem displaying their torsos in any case. It is great that there are no penalties for an accidental nip-slip so all in all, this is a beautiful thing.”
German city Goettingen became the first city in the country to allow women to swim topless in public pools last summer.
In August of last year the Mirror reported on a similar change made by authorities in Spain, who said women should have the right to go topless at public swimming pools following accusations of double standards between genders.
The Catalan regional authorities launched a campaign to support women in showing their breasts after complaints that they had been banned from doing so.
“The sexualisation of women starts when they are young, and it accompanies us all our lives. That we must cover up our breasts in some spaces is proof", the video campaign said.
Spain's left-wing government has been taking a positive stand in encouraging women to feel better in their bodies.
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