The bill, which is set to be signed into law by Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams this month, would outlaw discrimination on the basis of a person’s ‘height or weight’ in ’employment, housing and public accommodation’.
But it has already triggered outrage in some quarters, with Republican New York City council minority leader Joseph Borelli claiming it will empower people to ‘sue anyone and everything’.
Councilman Shaun Abreu, one of the bill’s main sponsors, said he realized weight discrimination was a ‘silent burden’ after he was treated differently when he gained more than 40lbs during lockdown.
The bill had the support of charities and activists like self-styled ‘Fat Fab Feminist’ Victoria Abraham who testified to the city council in support of the legislation earlier this year.
It is set to include a defense for employers where consideration of height or weight was ‘reasonably necessary’ for the ‘normal operations’ of a job.