Bill in California seeks to outlaw caste-based bias

WASHINGTON: A Bill seeking to explicitly ban caste discrimination has been introduced in the California Senate by a Democratic lawmaker, which, if passed, could make America’s most populous state also the country’s first to outlaw caste-based bias.

State Senator Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan American elected to the state legislature, introduced the Bill on Wednesday.

The move came exactly one month after Seattle became the first US city to outlaw caste discrimination after its local council passed a resolution moved by an Indian-American politician and economist. The resolution, moved by Kshama Sawant, an upper-caste Hindu, was approved by the Seattle City Council by six to one vote.

“This historic legislation is about workers’ rights, women’s rights, queer rights, and civil rights,” said Wahab after introducing the legislation.

“We want to ensure organisations and companies do not entrench caste discrimination in their practices or policies, and to do that we need to make it clear that discrimination based on caste is against the law,” she told reporters in Sacramento, California.

California, a western US state located along the Pacific Coast with 39.2 million residents, is the most populous US state and the third-largest by area.

“Caste goes beyond religion and nationality. This legislation primarily protects millions who live in silence and have never had such protection because there is little understanding of this issue. This bill is about protecting people who are vulnerable,” Wahab said.