German town votes to permit topless swimming in local pools

BERLIN (AP) — A town in central Germany has voted in favor of letting all swimmers bathe topless at its four municipal pools.

German news agency dpa reported Friday that officials in Goettingen had initially permitted topless bathing on weekends after a person who identified as neither male nor female objected to being told to cover up last year.

Dpa quoted a town spokesperson saying that “the overwhelming majority” of swimmers approved of the measure and following a council vote it would now apply throughout the week.

A court in Berlin this week separately rejected a discrimination lawsuit filed by a woman who was told by officials to cover her breasts at an open-air water playground in the capital, while men were not asked to do so. The ruling can be appealed.