NYC Mayor Eric Adams Signs Anti-Weight and Height Discrimination Bill

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) signed a bill into law that prohibits discrimination based on someone’s weight or height, specifically targeting discrimination when it comes to employment, housing, and public accommodations. 

“No one should ever be discriminated against based on their height and weight. We all deserve the same access to employment, housing, and public accommodations, regardless of our appearance,” Adams said at a Friday ceremony where he signed the Intro. 209-A into law. 

The bill does provide exemptions to some employers who may require considering someone’s physical build before they hire them as it may prevent them from doing the requirements of the job.

Joining Adams at the signing ceremony was Tigress Osborn, the chair of the group National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Osborn said the bill Adams signed will “ripple across the globe.”

“We can’t legislate attitudes, but we can do everything that’s in our power to assure that people are treated equally,” she said. 

Adams said in his address that someone’s “body type” being an indicator of their health is a “misnomer” being dispelled. 

“Science has shown that body type is not a connection to if you’re healthy or unhealthy. I think that’s a misnomer that we are really dispelling,” he said.