The New York City Council is considering protecting New Yorkers from discrimination on the basis of height and weight. This year, New York City could become one of the largest city in the world to make it against the law to deny fat people the same rights that thinner people enjoy. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and New York State are also considering legislation that could make them the next to join the short list of states where weight discrimination is illegal. This is particularly important because weight discrimination cost $6.4 billion and affected over 2 million people in New York City in 2019, according to Dove’s Real Cost of Beauty Ideals report.
The mainstream body positivity movement has made it socially acceptable to criticize harmful beauty standards, which helps people understand how societal standards exclude entire groups of people from our ideas of worthiness. That’s certainly a start. But body positivity isn’t inherently political, which means that while one’s personal feelings toward their body might be positively affected by the movement, the rights and material conditions of fat and less able-bodied people remain unaddressed. Legislation prohibiting size discrimination is one way of addressing the systemic barriers that fat people face.
Despite misconceptions about body size, data tells us that most diets fail, and that obesity on it’s own is not a risk factor for mortality. But the validity of those common misunderstandings is actually irrelevant; people should be protected from discrimination and violence in any form simply because they are human.
As someone with a passion for public policy, I am excited by the potential for established legal protections against weight discrimination. I am even more excited by the prospect of being able to hold a job without interference from anti-fat bias towards my current and future body. I know that legislation is not liberation–we will not legislate our way out of diet culture or fatphobia, and the passage of these bills will not eliminate the existence of anti-fat violence or attitudes. But it will allow individuals to seek legal recourse in the face of hateful rhetoric and discrimination, and at the very least, may allow folks to gain the material comforts that allow space for healing after experiencing harm. In the face of so many political attacks on marginalized communities, this feels like a win.
Courtesy of NAAFA
History shows that New York City has and can be again a beacon of freedom and expression. We, the people, color this city with acceptance, but systems enshrine this value in the fabric of the five boroughs. To be clear, I’m not under the illusion that the city I call home is perfect. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but as someone who knows and loves many of the advocates and activists working tirelessly to improve this city, I know we’re in good hands.
New York City is a city of possibility, of progress, and unlimited potential. Soon, it would also be one of the safest cities in the world for fat people to chase their dreams and live their boldest, most joyful fat lives, making the greatest city in the world, even greater.
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