We’re not joking about the bungee jumping thing in the title of this article. Under New York City’s new “body positivity” regulation, companies can no longer impose height or weight restrictions on people, lest they run afoul of the city’s discrimination laws. If a bungee jumping company were not to tell a fat person that they can’t participate in bungee jumping—for their own safety—the fat person can sue that company out of business.
The city leaders in New York call the new rule “groundbreaking.” Get it? Ground…breaking? Okay, it’s going to take all our effort to get through this story without laughing.
So-called “fatfluencers” on social media have been petitioning cities and businesses to adopt “customer-of-size” policies, to be more “fat inclusive.” They want to enjoy the same activities and experiences as everyone else, but without having to adhere to the diet and exercise regimens that regular-sized people have.
Because of the heavy pressure imposed by the fatfluencers, the New York City council added size and weight discrimination to the anti-discrimination policies that were already in effect. People are already protected from discrimination for their age, race, religion, and other factors. But this was a first-of-its-kind ordinance in America. It’s now against the rules in New York to “discriminate” against someone because of their weight or size.
New York City’s woke Mayor Eric Adams eagerly signed the new rule six months ago, because what else was he supposed to do? Solve New York City’s problems like homelessness or hordes of illegal aliens showing up? Please. He was busy signing the rule to prohibit fat-shaming. That rule just went into effect, and it’s probably going to fall on certain businesses like a ton of bricks.
Two of the sponsors of the anti-fatty discrimination rule put out a joint statement, claiming, “Body size discrimination affects millions of people every year, contributing to harmful disparities in medical treatment and outcomes, blocking people from access to opportunities in employment, housing and public accommodations, and deepening existing injustices that people face.”
But does it really affect millions of people every year? And is what they’re experiencing truly “discrimination?”
In the case of a bungee jumping company, it’s clearly not. If a fat person wants to try bungee jumping, it’s in their best interests for that company to tell them they can’t participate.
The potential for litigation against businesses that this new rule has opened up are staggering. Will airlines that fly in and out of New York City have to completely redesign their interiors, so that fat people can have the same experience while flying as people who have the willpower to push themselves away from the table before having a third slice of pie?
Will restaurants be required to have their regular menu, a kids’ menu, and a Stacey Abrams menu?
What about landlords? If they have a fat tenant who decides their apartment’s size is discriminatory, will the landlord be forced to remodel it on their own dime?
Will government buildings be required to install wider doorways at taxpayer expense?
The list goes on and on.
Once again, we have a new policy being forced on people in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and none of the people in charge seem to have thought it through. How about a city ordinance encouraging (not forcing) people to walk for 20 minutes every day? Wouldn’t that be much more responsible than passing regulations that take away all encouragement for fat people to lose a few pounds? It’s also incredibly unfair to all the businesses that are suddenly going to have spend tons of money to accommodate a new protected class. Where does this all end?
