NEWYORK –
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed legislation Friday banning discrimination on the basis of body size by adding weight and height to the list of protected categories such as race, sex and religion. teacher.
“We all deserve equal access to jobs, housing and public housing, no matter what we look like and no matter how tall or heavy you are,” the mayor said. , who joined other elected officials as well. -Advocates accept at a City Hall bill signing ceremony.
Adams, a Democrat who has published a book on reversing his diabetes through a plant-based diet, said the ordinance “will help level the playing field for all.” New Yorkers, creating more inclusive living and workplace environments, and protecting against discrimination.”
Ordinance exemptions the city council passed this month include cases where an individual’s height or weight could prevent them from performing essential job functions.
Some business leaders have expressed opposition to the law when it is presented to the council, arguing that compliance can become a huge burden.
“The magnitude of the impact and costs of this legislation have not been fully considered,” Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, said in a statement.
Several other US cities have banned discrimination based on weight and appearance, including San Francisco, Washington, DC and Madison, Wisconsin. And laws banning weight and height discrimination have been introduced in states including New Jersey and Massachusetts.
Tigress Osborn, president of the National Association to Promote Fat Acceptance, said New York City’s weight discrimination ban would be a model for the nation and the world.
Osborn said the city’s passage of the new ordinance “will shake the world” and show that “discrimination against people based on their body size is wrong and something we can’t do.” change.”
The ordinance will go into effect after 180 days, on November 22.
