«In the pool there were men with more tits than me and who did not have them covered»

The user of the Lardero municipal swimming pools who has complained to the Ombudsman about her right to go topless has published the letter issued to the City Council and the complaint form addressed to the Government of La Rioja. Josune, that is the name of the woman, who lives in Bilbao, went to the Aqualar sports complex on July 22, 2023 with his wife, his son and several friends, and stated that “if I go back to those pools, I don’t want to find myself in a pool again.” situation as embarrassing as the one I experienced. «I never wear a bra, I don’t need it. It seems terrible to me that I have to wear a bikini top just because I am a woman and that it is considered that my nipples have to be hidden from the eyes of society,” considers this woman.

According to her own account, 15 minutes after entering the pools a lifeguard, “very politely”, told her that she could not go topless, she wanted to talk to her boss and he replied the same. «I told him that when he told me what regulation it was in and I would know who to complain to for the discrimination of the norm, I would wear the bikini top, but that if he didn’t tell me where it was written, I would continue doing topless because it was only his word. », explains Josune. The user remembers that afterwards they went to eat and “many men were not wearing their shirts and no one said anything to them, even though this clothing regulation was indicated.”

Taking advantage of this episode, Josune criticizes the “amazing amount of wasted plastic” in the restaurant since “they take out all the food in non-reused containers.” Continuing with the topless conflict, the woman says that, after her nap, when she tried to take a bath again, a third lifeguard addressed her “with very bad manners.” “He came quickly and directly, as if I were robbing a bank, telling me that he was not going to allow me to go into the water topless, that it was prohibited,” says Josune. It was then that this user blurted out to the lifeguard that “in the pool there were men with bigger tits than me who did not have them covered (although the size should not be relevant)” and he seems to have responded that the bodies are different.

As the discussion continued without reaching an agreement, Josune decided to fill out a complaint form, then called the Lardero City Council and asked to consult the regulations, but did not receive a response, which is why he sent a letter. In the complaint form for the regional Executive, Josune states that prohibiting bathing for women who are topless “is clearly discriminatory behavior.” “My breasts are much smaller than those of many men who were bathing calmly,” insists this user, adding that “the lifeguard did not speak well to me and made reference to the fact that I was exposing myself when I was calmly with my wife and son.” ».

The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, has ruled that women have the right to bathe without a bikini top in the municipal pools of Lardero and it cannot be prohibited. And the Lardero City Council has complied with the decision and has announced that it will change the regulations of the facilities.