Gender-Segregated Swim Hours Create Hot Water in Some City Pools

Memorial Day marks opening weekend for many public pools across the U.S., and as warm weather draws people to cool waters, a handful of cities are caught in a debate over gender-specific swimming hours.

These swimming times, which are most often women-only, are usually created for Jewish or Muslim communities whose religious beliefs mandate a modesty that includes covering most of their body in front of the opposite sex. Critics find these hours discriminatory and reinforcing of old stereotypes, yet in recent years they have withstood challenges in some cities, while succumbing in others. And as the law moves towards perceiving gender as more fluid, these challenges are likely to get more heated. A recent decision by a federal court appeals court may signal that the end is drawing nigh for gender-segregated swimming.