NY man, 61, suing over skimpy lifeguard trunks

[August 19, 2011]  LONG BEACH, N.Y. (AP) -- A 61-year-old New York man says he lost his job as a lifeguard when he refused to wear skimpy swim trunks for the annual swim test.

Roy Lester tells the New York Daily News (http://nydn.us/oFL3E0) he was forced out of the job after 40 years in 2007 when he wanted to take the swim test in biking shorts instead of the tiny swim trunks.

He filed a lawsuit against the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in 2009. The lawsuit had been dismissed but was reinstated by an appeals court last week.

Lester is a triathlete, but says no one his age should be wearing tiny trunks. He says the bathing suit requirement was aimed at getting rid of older lifeguards.

State officials declined to comment.

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Information from: Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com/

[Associated Press]

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