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NYC lawmakers to pass bill banning weight and height discrimination
By
Giulia Heyward
Published May 11, 2023
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By Felix Lipov
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Giulia Heyward
Published May 11, 2023
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New York City is set to become the largest municipality to ban discrimination against someone because of a number on the scale.
On Thursday, the City Council was poised to pass a measure that prohibits bias against a person because of their weight – or height – in employment, housing and other public accommodations.
“People with different body types are not only denied jobs and promotions that they deserve, their whole existence has also been denied by a society that offers no legal remedy for this prejudice,” Councilmember Shaun Abreu said at a meeting ahead of the vote. Abreu, who represents areas including West Harlem and Washington Heights in Manhattan, sponsored the bill.
The measure is indicative of a growing movement aimed at addressing discrimination against those who are overweight or obese. Within the past decade, a Brooklyn man said he was fired from his job for being obese and a New Jersey court allowed an Atlantic City casino to issue infractions against cocktail servers who gained weight. During the meeting, Abreu said that 2 million New Yorkers experience weight discrimination each year.
The bill will still allow employers to consider a person’s height or weight when it is relevant to the essential requirements of the job or complies with local or federal laws, according to Speaker Adrienne Adams. The Council is also considering a similar measure that would ban discriminating against people with tattoos in the workplace.
Abreu said he hoped other cities – and eventually the federal government – would enact similar legislation in the near future.
“We are going a long way to changing the culture around weight,” he said.
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discrimination
City Council
labor
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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