AP It’s a swim suit. Get it? (Reader throws brick). A 61-year-old Long Island lifeguard is suing the state of New York because, he says, he was fired for not wearing a skimpy Speedo swimsuit during his annual swimming test. It was back in 2007 when Roy Lester was given the heave-ho because he wanted to wear cycling shorts instead of the mandated Speedo. The reason for his objection should be obvious.
“I wore a Speedo when I was in my 20s,” Lester said. “But come on. There should be a law prohibiting anyone over the age of 50 from wearing a Speedo.”
So Lester sued the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, twice. Both were dismissed, in 2008 and 2009, respectively. But last week an appeals court reinstated his claim, and the case could go to trial this year in Nassau County.
No! We don’t want to see Exhibit A!
Lester believes the Speedo edict was an attempt to rid Jones Beach of its aging lifeguards. The former lifeguard union head estimates that more than 80 percent of Jones Beach lifeguards are older than 40.
“This was not right,” said Lester, a bankruptcy lawyer who is representing himself in the age discrimination claim. “They were just trying to get rid of the older guys. To me the whole key to being a good lifeguard is experience. An older guy sees a save before anyone else. You know the water.”
In case you’re wondering if this is all a smokescreen to hide the fact that Lester isn’t fit enough to be a lifeguard, consider this: He’s a triathlete who last week finished at the top of his age group in a lifeguarding competition held in Cape May, N.J.
People, Roy Lester is a hero. Hear that, old people at my local beach? Your reign of terror will soon be over.
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Lifeguard, 61, sues state for firing him after he refused to wear Speedo [New York Daily News]
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- goforthanddie - Aug 19, 2011 at 3:41 PM
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Dude can go butt nekkid if he wants as long as he can do the job.
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- cactusflats - Aug 19, 2011 at 7:08 PM
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Let the management at Jone Beach wear speedos for their work. I’m with the life guard, so long as he can get the job done and save someone drowning in the water. Come on – speedo should not be a requirement for this kind of work!
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- spepic1 - Sep 27, 2011 at 5:05 PM
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I wonder if they were looking for a reason to fire him. I mean 61 years old. Wow. The questions are: Can he perform on the job? Was he in shape? Can he sit on a lifeguard chair for a long time? Can he rescue someone? Ocean lifeguards have to be in great ocean shape. Either the organization stands by its rules in a strict way. Or it was an excuse to get rid of an old guy.
