Should Fat People Be Protected Under Hate Crime Laws?
Hate crime laws protect people from being attacked or discriminated against based on a whole host of things, including age, race, ethnicity, religion and sexual identity. Should “being fat” be added to that ever growing list? Some people in London seem to think so. They demonstrated outside the mayor’s office on Sunday, demanding that laws be passed that protect overweight people from prejudice. They are following the lead of San Francisco, where a law bans so called “fat-ism” in housing and employment. It also stops doctors from pressing patients to slim down. San Francisco lawyer Sondra Solway told BBC News, “The San Francisco ordinance says you may want to mention weight to the patient but if the patient says they do not want to talk about that then you are asked to respect those wishes.” Back in London, members of the Size Acceptance Movement said they constantly face discrimination because of their waistlines. Kathryn Szrodecki said that in the UK fat people are stared at, pointed
