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By Olivia Land

New York City lawmakers approved a bill to ban weight and height discrimination this week, making the city the largest municipality in the country to ban anti-fat bias.

The proposal passed the New York City Council by a vote of 44-5 on Thursday. The approved legislation will amend the city’s administrative code to make perceived and actual weight and height discrimination illegal in employment, public accommodations and housing.

The move was spearheaded by Democratic Councilmember Shaun Abreu, who said he was alerted to the need for “changing culture” around weight after he gained 40 pounds during lockdown.

“Just recently someone who I considered to be a friend came up to me and touched my stomach and said, ‘We’re getting bigger there, buddy.’ And it just speaks to the toxic culture that exists in the United States when it comes to people that are above their average peers’ weight,” he said of the experience, per KTVZ.

“People with different body types are not only denied jobs and promotions that they deserve,” he continued.