The California State Senate has passed a historic legislation banning caste-based discrimination in the state. This makes California the first US state to add caste as a protected category in its anti-discrimination laws. The bill, SB 403, was passed with a 34-1 vote. Promoters of the bill, led by non-profit Equality Lab, have said that a similar bill is being introduced in the State House of Representatives before it can be sent to the Governor to be signed into law.
Caste-based discrimination to be added as a protected category
Introduced by California Senator Aisha Wahab, SB 403 adds caste as a protected category to an existing law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act. The act provides that all people in the state of California are entitled to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments. SB 403 provides explicit protections for those who have been systemically harmed due to caste bias and prejudice. It also provides legal consequences for those seeking to avoid responsibility or ramifications for permitting or participating in caste discrimination and caste-based violence.
This landmark bill comes just weeks after the California Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed SB403 in April. It also follows the Seattle City Council’s historic legislation banning caste discrimination earlier this year, as well as resolutions to designate caste as a protected category passed by the California Democratic Party, the California State University system, the Alphabet Workers Union, tech giants like Apple and Cisco, and others. Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who was instrumental in Seattle being the first city to pass anti-caste discrimination law, welcomed the passage of SB 403 by the California State Senate.
Equality Labs executive director Thenmozhi Soundararajan said, “On behalf of all Dalit Californians and caste-oppressed people around the world, we are ecstatic that the California Senate has passed SB403 off the Senate floor. This is a win rooted in years of Dalit feminist organising, and we are just getting started in making the state safe for our entire caste-oppressed community.”
Implications of the legislation
SB 403 provides firm legal consequences for those seeking to avoid responsibility or ramifications for permitting or participating in caste discrimination and caste-based violence. This historic bill highlights the growing awareness and action taken to address systemic oppression based on caste identity. The legislation has implications beyond California and has the potential to inspire similar anti-caste discrimination laws in other parts of the world.
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