Staff Reports
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has created a whole new protected group of people by signing an anti-discrimination measure into law. Employers and landlords in the city are now prohibited from discriminating against individuals based on height or weight when it comes to housing or job opportunities. This means that obese people have now been added to the list of protected categories already on the books such as race, sex, and religion.
Mayor Adams Signs Bill Creating New Protected Class in NYC https://t.co/WcksBoWi82
— Marlon East Of The Pecos (@Darksideleader2) June 1, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams stated that he believes in health, and therefore, this isn’t a fight against obesity, but rather an attempt to be fair to everyone. “Science has shown body type is not a connection to if you’re healthy or unhealthy, and I think that’s a misnomer we are really dispelling,” the Democrat continued. Predictably, the bill has caused controversy among critics. One of them, GOP leader Joseph Borelli, argued that this new law would only benefit lawyers since people would be able to sue for discrimination on any grounds.
The New York Post’s editorial board referred to this legislation as a “fat gift” to NYC’s legal community, who will be lining their pockets with lawsuits that will surely follow. New York City is facing many crises at the moment: a financial crisis, a migrant crisis, and an education crisis, with solutions nowhere in sight. Therefore, it’s absurd that the City Council is figuring out ways to help professional grievance-seekers and shady consulting firms offering sensitivity trainings.
Councilman Shaun Abreu, who sponsored the bill, said it would raise awareness, changing “the culture in how we think about weight.” Sounds good, right? But cultural change doesn’t fall within the City Council’s mandate. The irony is that the bill has loopholes for when height and weight actually matter in jobs requiring physical prowess, such as firefighting, policing, and other fields that necessitate physical agility as much as mental acuity.
According to The Partnership of New York City’s Kathy Wylde, the cost and impact of the law have not been completely evaluated. During a hearing, people shared the difficulties faced by overweight people sitting in restaurant and theater seats while bikes, taxicabs, and seat belts were not suitable, resulting in discrimination as well as modifications to establishments to avoid fines and lawsuits.
All in all, this new law seems not only improbable but also detrimental to the basic tenets of fairness and common sense. Is it indicative of lawmakers’ pandering to the lower common denominator or, worse, a case of paying lip service to a group and soliciting costly lawsuits? Only time will tell.
