7-year-old girl kicked out of wet play area in Maryland for wearing same swimwear as boys
A seven-year-old girl was allegedly kicked out of a wet play area because she was wearing swim shorts and a T-shirt – just like boys — while on a trip to a play fountain in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The girl's mother, Roz Dzelzitis, posted on Facebook that her daughter, who has not been named, was ordered to leave the Downtown Silver Spring Fountain by a security guard as she wore swim shorts and a “short sleeve rash guard” instead of a women’s “underwear style” or one-piece swimsuit.
The mother also included a picture of her daughter sporting the same outfit that she had on the day she was asked to leave the wet play area in Silver Spring. The incident allegedly took place on June 20.
Accusing the park of double standards, Dzelzitis wrote: "She had been in there a little while. Suddenly the guard came over and motioned to her and said, Out!"
She claimed the guard pulled out a black binder which had drawings of swimwear to show Dzelzitis that her daughter was not dressed "appropriately." Downtown Silver Springs — the company which runs the fountain — says that all children should wear appropriate clothing if they are using the play fountain.
Dzelzitis said she tried to explain to the guard that her child's outfit was also swimwear but to no avail. "He said, 'but those are boys,' and told me 'she’s a girl," Dzelzitis revealed.
"When my daughter protested and pointed out the boys, he repeated that 'those are boys' and turned to my daughter and said 'you’re a girl,'" Dzelzitis wrote.
This is the second time that Dzelzitis' daughter was kicked from a venue for sporting the "wrong clothes".
"Just the fact that someone specifically told her that ‘Yes, that boy can do this but you’re a girl, you can’t. It’s unbelievable that would occur in 2019 in Silver Spring, Maryland. Those memories of being told what you can and can’t do because of your gender never leave you," Dzelzitis added.
In a statement published in the Washington Post, Downtown Silver Spring Fountain said: "There was an unfortunate misunderstanding by a security guard at the Downtown Silver Spring fountain who did not initially recognize that the child’s attire was indeed swimwear. Once a supervisor was called and found that the clothing was appropriate swim attire, the supervisor apologized and told the parents the girl was allowed back in the fountain. We’ve taken this opportunity to retrain our security team. There is no gender-specific swimwear requirement."
"The fountain is required to operate under Montgomery County’s rules for swimming pools. As such, children and adults must be in swim attire," the statement continued.
Dzelzitis has, however, denied these claims and said that the family received no apology. She also added that her daughter was not permitted back into the water that day.