On May 11, 2023, New York City passed a groundbreaking law that bans weight discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The law, signed by Mayor Eric Adams, makes it illegal to deny someone a job, an apartment, or access to a public place because of their weight, promising more inclusive workplaces and living environments and protection against discrimination. During public hearings, New Yorkers in support of this bill brought up issues, such as difficulty with seating in restaurants and theaters, being denied housing by landlords, and weight restrictions on the city’s bike-sharing program. The law aims to level the playing field for New Yorkers who struggle with obesity and have faced bias due to their weight.
What This Law Means
This law means New Yorkers cannot face discrimination because of their weight. For example, an employer cannot refuse to hire someone because they are overweight, and a landlord cannot refuse to rent someone an apartment because they have obesity. This law also means that New Yorkers cannot be denied access to public places, such as restaurants, stores, and parks, because of their weight. These efforts follow an increase in obesity over the past few decades. In the whole of New York state, adults who are overweight or have obesity increased from 42% in 1997 to 63.6% in 2021. More people are facing unjust discrimination and exclusion due to their appearance, further perpetuating social injustice and the public health crisis.
The Impact of Weight Discrimination
Weight discrimination harms people’s lives, including their physical and mental health, their employment opportunities, and their housing options. It also extends beyond issues of weight; weight bias is intertwined with racial, ethnic, and gender discrimination. Many victims of weight discrimination are women; a 10% increase in a woman’s body mass decreased her income by 6%. Women of color—who already earn less than their white and male peers—struggle even more when weight is brought into the picture. People with different body types have historically been denied access to job opportunities and equal wages, and there are no legal protections that can counter these situations. This law provides a legal recourse for people with obesity who have faced unfair discrimination. This helps address other social justice issues linked to weight, cultivating a more tolerant and accepting society overall.
The Shift in Weight Culture
The passing of this law comes at a time when discussions around weight and obesity have shifted. For years, obesity was seen as the fault of the person and their lifestyle choices, rather than a complex condition that can be caused by various factors beyond a person’s control. Unlike skin color, weight was viewed as something under a person’s control, which is why there was a lack of protection against bias and prejudice.
Today, the discourse surrounding obesity is becoming more nuanced. Obesity management methods have shifted from encouraging weight loss or providing tips and tricks for quick results. Now, people can join a healthy weight loss program and receive tailored guidance with science-backed methods that focus on simple nutrition, factors over fads, building and maintaining healthy habits, and doctor-led access to prescription medication. Managing obesity without focusing on numbers and calories helps make weight loss sustainable and realistic, and it considers more complex factors of weight, such as biology, sleep, stress, and more. Social aspects of weight are also being brought to light. Issues like food insecurity that plague low-income neigborhoods in New York lack sources of accessible products of protein, whole grains, produce, and dairy. These areas are mainly populated with marginalized communities, further exacerbating inequalities.
Weight discrimination impacts various social and health aspects in New York City. This new law barring this prejudice can make a positive change in the way people with overweight or obesity are treated regarding housing, work, public spaces, and society overall.
