Too fat? Too short? It shouldn’t matter

NY poised to stop size discrimination

Too fat? Too short? It shouldn’t matter

Lawmakers in New York City are advancing a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their height and weight.

The proposed legislation, introduced by Council Member Shaun Abreu last Spring, seeks to amend the city's code to prevent discrimination on the basis of body size in opportunities for employment, housing, and access to public accommodations.

The bill, which has already garnered support from Mayor Eric Adams and 33 co-sponsors, is currently undergoing committee hearings. If passed, it would make New York City one of the few places in the United States to offer legal protections to individuals based on their height and weight.

Shaun Abreu, who has been an advocate for the bill, described it as "long overdue as a civil rights issue" and emphasized the importance of treating everyone with dignity and respect.

The bill's text allows for exceptions in cases where height or weight is a "bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the business," or when such requirements are bona fide considerations of public health and safety.

Similar measures are being considered by lawmakers in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Michigan, where size-based protections already exist.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, around 30.7% of US adults are overweight, and 42.4% are classified as obese.

How does your state stack up?

State

Obese %

Florida

No data

West Virginia

40.6

Kentucky

40.3

Alabama

39.9

Oklahoma

39.4

Mississippi

39.1

Arkansas

38.7

Louisiana

38.6

South Dakota

38.4

Ohio

37.8

Missouri

37.3

Iowa

36.4

Indiana

36.3

South Carolina

36.1

Texas

36.1

Kansas

36

North Carolina

36

Puerto Rico

36

Nebraska

35.9

Virgin Islands

35.6

North Dakota

35.2

Tennessee

35

New Mexico

34.6

Michigan

34.4

Maryland

34.3

Illinois

34.2

Virginia

34.2

Delaware

33.9

Georgia

33.9

Wisconsin

33.9

Alaska

33.5

Guam

33.5

Pennsylvania

33.3

Minnesota

32.4

Wyoming

32

Maine

31.9

Montana

31.8

Idaho

31.6

Arizona

31.3

Nevada

31.3

Utah

30.9

New Hampshire

30.6

Connecticut

30.4

Oregon

30.4

Rhode Island

30.1

New York

29.1

Vermont

29

Washington

28.8

New Jersey

28.2

California

27.6

Massachusetts

27.4

Colorado

25.1

Hawaii

25

District of Columbia

24.7

   

Source: CDC

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