Curbing harassment by standardizing underwear

In an effort to curb sexual harassment, a city in British Columbia is requiring all of its firefighters to wear boxers rather than briefs.
In the wake of harassment allegations from four female firefighters, the department didn’t respond by committing to hiring a critical mass of women, working to change firehouse culture, or instating strict penalties for harassing behavior. Nope, they decided standard underwear (the same boxers will be issued for both male and female firefighters to wear) was the way to go.

The one-style-for-all is part of the city’s attempts to make the department gender-neutral and provide an environment in which men and women will feel comfortable, said Townsend.

This is, apparently, because firefighters have to strip down to their underwear in order to dress in their gear before heading out on a call. I guess it’s possible that the women complained about being catcalled while changing into their gear. And if issuing standard underwear will change their work environment for the better, I’m all in favor.
I hope, though, that the fire department is looking at broader ways to change its culture of sexual harassment.
Via Nerve.