A transgender woman was removed from the women-only nude section of a popular open air bathing spot in Bern, Switzerland after people complained about her presence. When tensions rose on site, staff asked her to leave, and when she refused, police escorted her from the premises and allegedly detained her at a station for two hours before she was sent to a hospital. The City of Bern later apologized, stating that its policy allows anyone who identifies and lives as a woman to use the women-only nude section of the public baths, acknowledging that police intervention was inappropriate under that policy. The fact that this Swiss city took accountability for its own unlawful and unethical actions is what we find most newsworthy – and hopeful – here. In the many instances that we’ve recently witnessed of civilians taking it upon themselves to police (often rudely and violently) other people’s bodies and/or genders, particularly in the United States in relation to bathrooms, this is a more welcome outcome.
Public Kerfuffle Over Genitalia in Switzerland
