(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New York City now allows fat individuals to sue over what they dubbed to be weight-based discrimination.
The New York City Council green-lighted, in an overwhelmingly 44-to-5 vote, legislation that would effectively protect obese individuals from alleged discrimination based on their overweight heft. Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, is expected to sign the law next month, reported the Daily Mail.
The bill was sponsored by Councilman Shaun Abreu, a Democrat, who was inspired to introduce the law after he gained 40 pounds during the Democrat-led COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. People treated him differently after the weight gain, Abreu claimed.
“This law 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.”
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The Democrat councilman also said the bill will work to push back against “toxic” culture after a friend touched his belly to highlight his weight gains.
“Just recently someone who I considered to be a friend came up to me and touched my stomach and said, ‘We’re getting bigger there, buddy.’ And it just speaks to the toxic culture that exists in the United States when it comes to people that are above their average peers weight,” Abreu bubbled.
Victoria Abraham, a self-proclaimed “Fat Fab Feminist,” was at the center of the bill and testified before the city council in February 2023 in support of the legislation.
Although the bill received significant support from the NYC Council — which is led by Democrats — not all lawmakers, including Republican Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli, applauded the legislation, expressing concerns that it may lead to excessive litigation and allow for broad legal action against any entity or individual. Borelli said that New Yorkers will now “sue anyone and everything.”
The “Fat Fab Feminist” activist said the bill did not go far enough. “”Are there gaps in this bill? For sure,” Abraham claimed, also calling it “the perfect first step.”
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