Uptown Pol Introduces Bill Banning Height, Weight Discrimination

UPPER MANHATTAN, NY — An uptown politician is looking to ban discrimination based on a person's height or weight in New York City, when it comes to job opportunities, housing, and access to public accommodations.

Council Member Shaun Abreu, along with Council Members Lincoln Restler and Shahana Hanif introduced the bill on Thursday.

"In New York City, we pride ourselves on our diversity, we don’t punish people for it," Abreu said in a news release. "With the passage of this bill, New Yorkers facing height and weight discrimination will finally be protected by the law."

The bill does clarify that there would be an exemption for employers needing to consider height or weight in employment decisions "only where height or weight is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary."

The bill does not specify what any of these jobs might be, but you'd have to think that the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and New York Liberty would be on the exempt list.

While the Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on real or perceived physical impairments, judges have been hesitant to include weight as one of them, according to a Bloomberg article published in March.

The bill from Abreu would go into effect 180 days after it became law.

The full bill is available to read on the New York City Council's website.