City of Bern apologies to TW with ‘certain physical characteristics that were not percieved as female’ was removed from nudist area of women only pool.

[Justme56]

Taken from a post by SEEN in Journalism. I used AI for an English translation as I don’t speak German so apologies if anything is incorrect.

https://x.com/journalismseen/status/2071729481488740824?s=46&t=ZX_bLozRqm8etdGICMcAvA

Stadt Bern

29 June 2026 | Municipal Council, Directorates
Incident involving a police operation at Marzili Outdoor Pool
Yesterday, Sunday, an incident occurred in the women-only section called “Paradiesli” at the Marzili outdoor swimming pool involving a transgender woman. At the instruction of the pool management, the person was removed from the pool by the police. It was later determined that this decision was wrong. In the future, the Sports Office will communicate the access rules more clearly.
The “Paradiesli” is a voluntary clothing-optional (nudist) area for women, located in a physically separated section in the southeastern part of the Marzili outdoor pool. On Sunday evening, a woman was present in the Marzili who, due to certain physical characteristics, was not perceived as female by some other bathers. Several visitors to the “Paradiesli” felt disturbed by her presence. Other visitors expressed solidarity with the woman. As tensions at the site continued to rise, the facility management spoke with the woman and asked her to leave the “Paradiesli.”
After discussions involving the “taktvoll” security service’s presence and prevention team also failed to calm the situation, the pool management mistakenly decided to have the transgender woman removed by the police because they feared the situation would escalate. The tense and conflict-ridden atmosphere led to this incorrect assessment of the situation. The Directorate for Education, Social Affairs and Sport expressly regrets this decision and apologizes to the person concerned.
Access rules for the separate women’s area “Paradiesli”
All people who identify as women and live as women are permitted to enter the voluntary clothing-optional area “Paradiesli.” An internal guidance document, prepared jointly by the Sports Office and the Office for Gender Equality, assists staff in managing access to gender-segregated areas, including the “Paradiesli.” It states that, in difficult cases, the officially registered sex shown on an identity document is decisive. The person concerned met the access requirements.
Measures for future management of the “Paradiesli”
The City of Bern is firmly committed to fostering a supportive community that opposes discrimination and exclusion. It calls on all visitors to the swimming pool to treat one another with respect. The city will now hold discussions with both the people who reported the incident and those affected. In addition to the internal guidance document, a public guide will be created explaining access to the “Paradiesli,” both on-site and online. Over the coming days, staff at the Marzili outdoor pool will receive support from the “taktvoll” presence and prevention team and will receive more targeted training in handling gender-specific protected spaces, with particular attention to the concerns relating to the “Paradiesli.”
Directorate for Education, Social Affairs and Sport

I see the mistake, they should have told everyone who complained to leave, obviously. 🙄

Man with penis but claiming to be a woman manspreads and gets an apology for being kicked out because women found his presence to be unpleasant and a violation of their privacy and dignity and now face being told to suck it up.

The pool will now be subject to protests and face financial issues, which may mean staff lose jobs.

Just so long as this bloke gets his rocks off.

Ugh men just ruin everything.

Obviously his right to get his dick out in front of unsuspecting women is far more important than women's right to enjoy the pool they have all paid to use. Fancy being such difficult women that they complained about seeing his dick! This will teach them to learn their place.

I do think this is a natural consequence of self ID . I’m sure some TRAs will be along to explain that they shouldn’t be looking and the complainers are genital obsessed. If ID says female then female etc.

So, a piece of paper identifies a person’s sex rather than the additional inconvenient lumps of flesh between their legs?

🤔

You have to laugh (or cry) at ‘certain physical characteristics’ 🙄😂

Was it his lady dique?

Thank heavens for the many brave women and for Mumsnet otherwise we’d be doing that here (more than we already are). So sorry for the women of Bern.

When men push boundaries like this it seems it initially works out well for them. Someone reacts instinctively in a way they don’t like (here it was the pool attendants, we can all think of other examples), they then get the authorities on their side, get the result they want and feel vindicated.
However, thousands of people hear the story and think ‘hang on, that’s not right’ and they start looking beyond the TWAW slogan that they’ve accepted. People get braver, and they peak.
Women of Bern, come over to Mumsnet!

due to certain physical characteristics, was not perceived as female by some other bathers

So... I take it he had his cock on show in the women only nudist area.

I feel so sorry for the other women. The women's only badis in Switzerland are amazing, especially in what is still a relatively sexist society. That man has just ruined them, probably for the whole country

So his cock was on display in the women's area and the women were told to STFU and look the other way?

The societal pecking order could not be made any clearer, could it. I really hope the people of Bern and the wider population start to push back on this.

Not quite - initially he was removed by the police (why were the police involved? Did someone ask him to put bathers on or to leave and he refused?). He has subsequently received an apology and rules about female only pools are to be reviewed.
I wonder who had a word to prompt the apology.

So a man was in the voluntary clothing-optional (nudist) area for women, it was noted that his body was not female, complaints were raised by the women, and he was removed. Now an apology has been issued to him (not to the women who were upset by his presence) and presumably he and his male shaped body will be allowed back - while women have to STFU and look the other way.

The Police were called because he refused to leave (and presumably cover up or go to the men’s section) when the pool attendants and then security got involved. He was clearly very keen on participating. The apology only came afterwards. I wonder whether he threatened to sue?

Exactly that @SirChenjins

What do they consider the reasoning for segregated provision to be if it isn’t based on sexed bodies?

Do they really think it’s sane to provide different areas based on self perception?

For those present who were arguing that he should be allowed to stay, what rationale do they give for excluding males without a trans identity.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that this male would not cause harm beyond that arising from his presence, but the same is true of every male who doesn’t present a threat to women and girls.

Causing harm is one part of this - the loss of privacy and dignity to women are also key issues.

His feelings appear to trump all of that though.

I agree, which is why I referred to harm ‘beyond that caused by his presence’ - acknowledging that his presence alone was harmful.

It states that, in difficult cases, the officially registered sex shown on an identity document is decisive. The person concerned met the access requirements.

Like the 'Female' on Imane Khelif's and Lin Yu-ting's passports meeting the access requirement for the women's boxing at the Paris Olympics.
Or a GRC.
Or a man just saying he's a woman, where there's self-ID.

This case is showing up the absurdity of 'sex' meaning anything other than biological sex. It's good to see that the other women were very clear that he as not a woman, and so incensed, that a 'tense and conflict-ridden atmosphere' arose.
Good. for them. More of that, please!

I hope the workers at the pool who asked him to leave, called the police, and had him removed get all the support they deserve.

Do you think he complains about genital inspections at other times?

When I read this, all I can think of is how I'd be soooo tempted to troll him until he decides to leave on his own 😛

They're going to lose sooooo many female customers.

But also peak so many people, probably.
[I managed to resist the temptation to do a hat-trick of 'sooooooo's😄]