Stockholm - Swedish feminists have secured the right to drop their tops at an indoor swimming pool in northern Sweden, a newspaper report said Wednesday. "We are used to naked people. The only condition is that other guests are not offended, in that case we will have to ask the
women to leave," Per-Erik Ulander, head of the municipal swimming pool in Sundsvall, north of
Stockholm told the Dagbladet newspaper.
Activists have since September challenged the ban against swimming topless and formed a network that has staged several protests.
The actions started after two young women were ordered to leave the public swimming hall in the city of Uppsala when swimming topless.
The Equal Opportunities Ombudsman, the watchdog in charge of ensuring equal opportunity between men and women, has said it would not review a complaint filed over alleged discrimination.
On their
website the network - called Bara Brost, which translates as "bare breasts" or "just breasts" - said their aim was to liberate women from being treated as "sexual objects" and that women should be able to decide when it is suitable to drop their tops - or not.
Officials of municipal swimming halls have cited hygiene rules and that other guests may be offended as reasons for upholding the rule that female guests should wear a bikini top or regular swim suit in the pool or pool area.
