Women banned from swimming pool when they have their periods

A pool in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, has banned women from swimming if they have their periods.

A sign proclaiming such has incited anger across social media, both in Georgia and beyond. Sophie Tabatadze of Tbilisi posted it on her Facebook page:

In the post, she called out Vake Swimming Pool and Fitness Club and said that banning women on their periods was sexist. "[D]o you even realize how offensive this is," she wrote.

"And, by the way, since according to your rules we are not allowed to use a swimming pool 5-6 days each month, do we get a preferential price compared with men," she pointedly asked.

The club released a statement saying it was "protecting" members, and claim they were not being mysogynistic.

"Our statement is not sexist and has a preventive objective," they said. "We had a case, when the water was contaminated due to which we had suffered damage. We try to follow norms of hygiene and we ask our members to do the same."

A commenter on Tabatadze's post said the sign has been up for eight years.

According to KidsHealth, a site from the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, it is okay to swim if you have your period.