Big excitement in New York City right now as Mayor Eric Adams has just signed a bill barring individuals from being discriminated against for their height and weight when it comes to access to employment, public housing and public accommodation. Essentially, this is designed to make obese people (anyone with a Body Mass Index > 30) a protected class, along with the other 19 protected classes in NYC such as race, age, disability, sexual orientation, immigration status, etc. The legislation takes effect at the turn of the year, at which point the fun will begin.
The legislation did not come as much of a surprise. For a few years now heavy set people have been pushing the idea – using the mantra “body positivity” – that being overweight is entirely natural and not at all unhealthy, while at the same time saying it makes them vulnerable to discrimination. In fact, they even claim that fatness is caused by discrimination. Whenever a group of people in the more lefty parts of the country even whisper the word discrimination, legislation follows as surely as night does day.
The weight discrimination bill reflects a remarkable change in Mayor Adams’s views. Seven years ago he successfully treated a diagnosis of diabetes with rigorous lifestyle changes. He dropped a lot of weight, eschewed fast food and became a vegan. Since then he has lobbied for healthier living as a means to cut down chronic illnesses. Only last year he commented in an editorial: “I have made it my mission to use what I learned and increase New Yorkers’ access to a high-quality, affordable, nutritious diet, so that more people can avoid diseases in the first place.”
Adams is spot on with the health stuff as obesity is one of the foremost health issues in the U.S. The CDC’s current data show that: “Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. These are among the leading causes of preventable, premature death.” The obesity rate among U.S. adults is 41.9%, and the estimated excess medical costs for our population is $173 Billion.
This begs the question: why should the obese be protected as they can diet and exercise just like Adams? However, the currently fashionable view is that obesity has social causes. Two “experts” from Harvard sum up one of these causes in a paper entitled “Is obesity a manifestation of systemic racism?” The paper answers the question with an enthusiastic yes, and states the cure for obesity lies in fighting the “systemic racism” that causes chronic stress which in turn causes obesity.
Read More: Say it Loud – I’m Plus Size and Proud!
