A law prohibiting discrimination based on height and weight in employment, housing, and public accommodations was signed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday.
Adams said during the signing ceremony: ‘You shouldn’t be treated differently when you’re looking for a job, when you’re out in our town, or when you’re trying to get some kind of accommodation or a flat to rent, no matter how tall you are or how much you weigh.’
However, there are several exceptions to the regulation. According to Adams, the rule will not apply if a job’s basic requirements state that an employee must be a certain height or weight in order to execute the job well.
He also stated that the law would become operative 180 days from November 22. He claimed that it ‘helps level the playing field for all New Yorkers.’
According to CBS News, six other cities, including San Francisco, Washington, DC, and the state of Michigan, in addition to New York City, have comparable laws against height and weight discrimination.
According to research, weight-based discrimination is widespread in America, with women — particularly women of colour — being the most common victims. According to a Vanderbilt University study, the so-called wage penalty results in overweight women in the US making $5.25 less per hour on average.
Tigress Osborn, chair of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, emphasised that the law had the ability to change how people throughout the world view the problem. She stressed that it is challenging to alter people’s views towards body shaming and that it is crucial that the government take all necessary steps to achieve equality.
Osborn, who led a rally earlier this year for the measure to be enacted and made a law, said, ‘We can’t legislate attitudes, but we can do everything that’s in our power to ensure that people are treated equally.’
‘We all know New York is a global city, and this will ripple across the globe in terms of showing to people, all over the world, that discrimination against people based on their body size is wrong and is something that we can change,’ she added.
Shaun Abreu, a member of the New York City Council, said that the issue has roots in Central Park and extends back roughly 50 years. He stated the law ushers in a ‘new day in New York city’ and expressed his gratitude for the move. The legislation’s sponsor is Abreu.
While applauding the new law, the law’s supporters emphasised the serious concerns that body discrimination brings about, such as wage penalties and denial of necessary medical treatments, in addition to the ensuing mental health problems the victims are likely to experience.
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