Staff Reports
Fat People Now Protected from Discrimination in New York City!
New York City has once again proved itself as the leftist haven of the country when it passed a bill making it illegal to discriminate against obese people in a 44-5 vote by the City Council. According to The Hill, it is now illegal to factor physical characteristics like height and weight into hiring practices, housing or in public accommodation. The usual line-up of protected identifiers now includes appearance-based characteristics, like weight and height, as well as race, sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin. The bill introduced by City Council Member Shaun Abreu and partnered with the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance is designed “to help those where weight has nothing to do with the essential job functions of a role,” Abreu said. “Just like any other protected category, like race or gender or age, this will be a new protected category and a claim that you can bring before the Commission on Human Rights.”
New York City council passes a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against height and weight in housing, employment, and public accommodations https://t.co/uaVWfZLNVG
— CNN (@CNN) May 11, 2023
Activist Victoria Abraham, also known as ‘Fat Fab Feminist,’ testified to the city council earlier this year in support of the bill. She said, “In most places in the United States, you can get fired for being fat and have no protection at all, which is crazy because this is a very fat country.” (RELATED: Feeling Blue: ABC Children’s Show Censored For Fat-Shaming). Just like that self-proclaimed ‘Fat Fab Feminist,’ the 22-year-old NYU graduate has a degree in public policy and nearly 120,000 social media followers. Abraham claims that obesity rates in the United States are increasing and that two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to Harvard School of Public Health. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Those with a BMI of 25 or higher are overweight.
In NYC, we pride ourselves on our diversity.
I am so honored to stand with @NAAFAofficial and @RWDSU this morning to protect all workers, tenants, and NYers facing appearance-based discrimination.
Together, we’ll build an inclusive world that celebrates our differences. pic.twitter.com/1HhlmpU3uP
— Council Member Shaun Abreu (@CMShaunAbreu) February 28, 2023
Fat people in New York City can now rest easy knowing they have been added to the list of protected groups. However, some councilmen criticized the bill, calling it an unnecessary addition to the books. According to The New York Times, councilman Joseph Borelli said, “I’m overweight, but I’m not a victim. No one should feel bad for me except my struggling shirt buttons.” Nonetheless, Democrat New York City Mayor Eric Adams plans to sign the bill into law this month. The Big Apple now joins the ranks of cities seeking to impose weight discrimination laws like Washington D.C.; San Francisco, Calif.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Madison, Wis.; and Urbana, Ill. Yet again, New York City demonstrates how low it can go to promote leftist ideals.
