The case made headlines in the summer of 2021: a shirtless woman is in a water playground and has to leave the premises. She is suing for discrimination.
Berlin – The dispute over exposed breasts on a Berlin water playground occupied Wednesday (10:00 a.m.) the district court of Berlin.
With the civil action, the woman concerned demands appropriate compensation under the Anti-Discrimination Act of the State of Berlin (LADG). “I found that very discriminatory. It was unfair,” plaintiff Gabrielle Lebreton said before the trial in a civil chamber of the district court. According to a court spokesman, it is unclear whether the court will make a decision on the same day.
French woman asked to cover breast
In June 2021, the plaintiff was shirtless at the Plansche water playground in the Treptow-Köpenick district. She was then asked by security forces, then by the police, to cover her chest or leave the premises. “I left the place because I was under pressure,” explained Lebreton, 38. The native French woman later turned to the ombudsman at the Berlin Senate Justice Administration and is now suing the district.
“It is very important to me that this discrimination be recognized for what it is and how humiliating this situation has been for me,” Lebreton said. “That was an encroachment on women’s freedom.” From the plaintiff’s point of view, the police should have protected her from this.
Berlin is the only federal state with an anti-discrimination law
The case is probably the most prominent complaint to date based on the law, which has been in place for a good two years now. So far, Berlin is the only federal state with its own anti-discrimination law, and other states want to follow suit. The law is intended to protect people from discrimination by the authorities and to enable claims for damages.
In the meantime, the usage regulations on the Berlin water playground have been amended. There it now says: “The swimwear must completely cover the primary genital organs. This applies to all genders.” The female breast is considered a secondary sex organ. dpa
