Why should only men be allowed to swim without a shirt? To promote gender equality, the city of Göttingen, Germany, has made an inspiring decision to allow women to go topless in its swimming pools.
This decision, which has been praised by locals, reflects a controversy that arose last fall. At the time, a lifeguard forced a swimmer, whom he considered a woman, to wear a swimsuit. Only here this person had refused because she identified herself as a man. Access to the facility was therefore prohibited.
The Municipality of Göttingen took up the subject to combat gender inequality. After a lively debate lasting several months, a concrete solution was finally found on Thursday 28 April: the practice of topless will henceforth be allowed on weekends in water recreation facilities, from 1 May to the end of August. This is currently an experiment.
As a reminder, nudity is much less taboo in Germany than in other countries. Indeed, most saunas are mixed and must be practiced naked for hygiene reasons. A measure that is hard to imagine in France, especially because the female body, especially the breasts, is still far too sexualized in our society.
By making this decision, the city of Göttingen becomes the first in Germany to allow topless swimming in its pools.