July 29, 1997
COMPLAINERS FACE BOOT UNDER CITY POLICY
By Jonathan Sher
Free Press Reporter
Staff at London pools have been trained to remove those who lose their heads,
not those who lose their tops.
Politicians are debating this week whether to enact a bylaw to regulate where
a women may go topless.
But administrators have beaten them to the punch -- they quietly trained
workers what to do if a woman bares her breasts at a public pool.
The policy:
* Do nothing unless you receive a complaint.
* If someone complains, ask the topless woman to cover up, making it clear
that it is her choice.
* If the woman declines, and the complainers get too noisy, kick the complainers
out.
"If complainants make a scene we remove them," said Robert Collins,
head of the city's planning and policy division.
The policy has yet to been tested, though -- so far no women have bared breasts
at public pools.
The policy meets the approval of Controller Diane Whiteside, who has lobbied
against efforts by her colleagues to pass a bylaw on the topless issue. "It's
about a woman's freedom of choice," she said.
The issue was uncovered ever so briefly at a meeting Monday night at city
hall.
The community and protective services committee filed without comment a proposal
by Coun. Bill Armstrong to consider measures adopted by other municipalities.
Mayor Dianne Haskett hopes the issue gets greater exposure Wednesday night
at a meeting of the board of control.