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