- Sep 4, 2005
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“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,” said Mayor Adams. “It shouldn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh when you’re looking for a job, are out on the town, or trying to rent an apartment. This law will help level the playing field for all New Yorkers, create more inclusive workplaces and living environments, and protect against discrimination. the Commission looks forward to working with all stakeholders to cultivate an equitable city for all.
Not so sure about this one...I would say it depends on the form of the "discrimination".
Certain forms of "discriminating" based on physical attributes is pragmatic.
If it's purely optics kind of discriminating they're trying to prevent IE: "I don't like that person because fat people = yucky", and there's a major problem with that, then okay, I get passing a measure preventing that.
However, if it's a case where they may go after an employer (who's hiring a person for a physically demanding job) for hiring a strapping 6'1" 190 pound fit 20 year old over an obese 44 year old, and hit them with a fine for "discrimination", then I may take some objection to that. Even a case where a somewhat new business owner is trying to offer company funded healthcare plans, and having concerns about adding people to the staff who they know will end up needing a lot of resources...I can sympathize with the business owner on that.
Or perhaps a local restaurant owner who's operating out of an old building, if a morbidly obese person complains because their entranceway doesn't accommodate a motorized cart or doesn't have a bathroom stall that's 4 feet wide, are they gonna get in trouble?
I'm staunchly opposed to discriminating against people over circumstances of birth...I'm less sympathetic toward circumstances of choice. And obesity is something that falls almost exclusively in the latter (with very few legitimate exceptions).
I don't know if Eric Adams actually believes what he's saying with this one, or if it's a position he's been "coached" into taking by advisors.
Mr Adams said: 'We all deserve the same access to employment, housing and public accommodation, regardless of our appearance, and it shouldn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh.'
Him, being a former police officer...certainly he doesn't believe that. There's no way he believes that a person who's either 4' 11" and 90 pounds, or 375 pounds would be as an effective of a law enforcement office as a person who's a average height and healthy body weight. (and that's just one profession that he happened to be in). When he was on the force, if given the choice of who his backup would be, it's unlikely that he would see a morbidly obese person as equal to a healthy person.