The city government in the Swiss capital Bern has criticised local police after officers removed a trans woman from the women-only nudist section of the popular Marzilibad open-air swimming pool.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon in the “Paradiesli” women’s nudist area.
According to police, several visitors complained about the presence of the trans woman.
When she refused to leave after being asked by pool staff and security services, officers were called.
Several people showed solidarity with the trans woman and tried to block the police.
A confrontation ensued, during which a policewoman was slightly injured.
The trans woman was eventually led away in handcuffs after being pushed to the ground.
An acquaintance of the person described the ordeal as “transphobic violence”.
“What I saw shocked me and made me extremely angry,” she told local reporters.
The city of Bern, whose Directorate for Education, Social Affairs and Sport is led by a Green politician, quickly distanced itself from the police action.
In a statement, the city said the pool operator had “wrongly decided on a police removal” after talks failed.
“The Directorate for Education, Social Affairs and Sport expressly regrets this decision and apologises to the person concerned,” it added.
The city emphasised that “all persons who identify as women and live as such have access to the voluntary nudist area Paradiesli.”
Staff are required to follow internal guidelines drawn up in collaboration with the Office for Gender Equality. In cases of doubt, the officially registered gender applies. “The person in question met the admission criteria,” the city states.
The case has sparked heated debate in Switzerland about single-sex spaces, particularly in contexts involving nudity.
Similar controversies have arisen in the UK, Spain, and Germany, where women’s groups have warned that the erosion of sex-based boundaries puts women and girls at risk.
Bern’s intervention has been welcomed by some trans activists but criticised by others who see it as another example of authorities prioritising ideology over practical safeguarding concerns in sensitive spaces.
Trans people or transgender people are people who do not feel their gender fits their biological body.
