On May 26, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams signed into law an amendment
to the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) designed to combat
size discrimination. Effective November 22, 2023, the amended
NYCHRL will prohibit discrimination on the basis of an
individual's height or weight. Both New Jersey and New York
state are considering similar legislation.
New York City joins one state, Michigan, and several cities
prohibiting size discrimination. Both Binghamton, New York, and San
Francisco, California, prohibit discrimination against an
individual's height or weight, and Santa Cruz, California;
Madison, Wisconsin; and Urbana, Illinois, ban discrimination
against an individual's physical appearance or characteristics,
which are defined to include height and weight. The Washington,
D.C., anti-discrimination law also prohibits discrimination on the
basis of an individual's personal appearance, although height
and weight are not included in the definition.