New York recently became the second state, after California, to
prohibit discrimination based on hairstyle. On July 12, 2019,
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that amends the state's
civil rights law to make it clear that its ban on racial
discrimination includes "traits historically associated with
race," including hair texture and protective hairstyles.
The law goes on to define protective hairstyles to include
"braids, locks and twists."
California enacted a very similar law just nine days earlier, on
July 3, 2019. The California law, called the "Crown Act," amends the state's
Fair Employment and Housing Act to include in the definition of
race "traits historically associated with race, including, but
not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles."
Like the New York law, it defines "protective hairstyles"
to include "such hairstyles as braids, locks, and
twists." The idea behind such laws is that restrictive
dress and grooming codes that prohibit
