NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Democratic members of the New York City council introduced legislation Thursday aimed at enshrining height and weight protections for New Yorkers, incorporating these categories into the city's Human Rights Law.
Council Member Brad Lander, the lead sponsor of the proposed legislation, said that prejudice directed toward a person's weight or height is "unfair and unacceptable."
"It's time for New York City to join the dozens of other localities that have taken action to make weight and height-based discrimination unlawful, leading to lower rates of bias and stigma and an increased ability for all New Yorkers to live safe and fulfilling lives," said Lander, a Brooklyn representative.
The legislation which hopes to combat height and weight discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations — biases that Brooklyn resident Lydia Green and her survey found surfaces in all aspects of life.
"Anonymous survey respondents reported being treated as intellectually inferior at school, encouraged to develop eating disorders, struggled to get health care providers to take their pain seriously, and faced harassment or abuse on public transit," Lander's release said. "Height and weight-based discrimination has both emotional and physical health impacts, including eating disorders, depression, and misdiagnoses."
Queens Council Member Daniel Dromm, a co-sponsor of the bill, said the legislation is "common sense."
"No person in NYC should be discriminated against because of a physical characteristic, including height and weight," he said. "We need to ensure that all New Yorkers are treated equally and fairly no matter what their appearance."
Michigan passed the nation's first weight-based discrimination in 1976, with areas across the country following suit.
Green said the idea of the bill came from experiences with her own weight and from the stories she heard while conducting her survey — comparing it to other prejudices.
"From applying to college to renting an apartment, people of size experience poor treatment, and things are even worse for people of size facing additional types of marginalization, like racism or sexism," she added.
