TresSugar

Some Overweight People Are Calling For a Law to Protect Them

TresSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Overt racism is not tolerated in most places, but fatism is flourishing in our society. Many overweight people say that the normal rules of decency and common courtesy don't seem to apply to them, and they're trying to organize a new rights movement.

In a news article yesterday, the BBC recounted the plight of an overweight train passenger who was beaten up by another commuter for taking up two seats. The aggressor yelled "you big fat pig" before she kicked the victim in the stomach. In addition to suffering verbal and physical abuse, overweight people who are speaking out say they are victims of systemic discrimination. For example, many airline companies in the US now charge larger passengers for two seats. Such a policy is considered illegal discrimination in Canada, where there is a one-person-one-fare law. The US has no such rule, nor is there a federal law forbidding employers from firing people because of their weight. (Michigan is alone in prohibiting employers from firing people for being overweight.)

Last year, a study from Yale revealed that weight discrimination is tolerated because many believe that people have control over their size. The truth is more complicated. Economics, health issues like type 2 diabetes, and genetics can affect a person's weight.

The study also revealed that overweight women are twice as vulnerable to discrimination than overweight men. If you want to find out if you have implicit biases against overweight people take this quiz developed by Harvard researchers. You might be surprised by the results.

Would you like to see a federal anti-weight discrimination law?

Discriminating Carrie Prejean Sues For Religious Discrimination

TresSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Before she infamously said anything about gay (or opposite) marriage, beauty queen Carrie Prejean claims that Miss California pageant officials told her to stop mentioning God. In a move that is keeping her name in the headlines, the dethroned Miss California is now suing pageant officials for religious discrimination.

Carrie claims she was fired as Miss California because she voiced her faith-based opinion that gay marriage should not be legal. Apparently, Carrie sees nothing ironic about using her religious beliefs as rationale for voicing antigay sentiments, and then claiming to be a victim of discrimination herself.

The lawsuit names director Keith Lewis and Shanna Moaklar as defendants, and also claims that the pair improperly revealed that they paid for Carrie's breast implants. Shanna's attorney had some strong things to say about the suit. He countered, "Ms. Prejean's unfortunate and bigoted statements are responsible for any public humiliation or damages to her reputation that she has claimed to have suffered." As for whether she was fired for her religion, officials cite her unwillingness to make appearances as the basis for her dethroning.

Regardless of whether you agree with Carrie, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does prohibit employers from discriminating against individuals because of their religion in hiring or firing. Do you think Carrie has a case?

American Apparel Managers Told: Fire the Ugly People!

TresSugar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 09:33:57 -0700

An American Apparel store manager sent Gawker an anonymous email claiming that controversial CEO Dov Charney was at it again.

The oft-sued Charney, this manager claimed, was demanding that underperforming AA stores send in photos of their sales staff to him so he could determine who wasn't good looking enough for the store. What would happen to these possibly hardworking folks who didn't enough resemble teenage Lolitas? Just guess:

"He made store managers across the country take group photos of their employees so that he could personally judge people based on looks. He is tightening the AA 'aesthetic,' and anyone that he deems not good-looking enough to work there, is encouraged to be fired."

If this allegation is proven, just wait for the lawsuits to roll in. (It's illegal, remember, to discriminate based on looks.) In the meantime, I guess I'm going to have to get my assless pantyhose from another purveyor. Perhaps the old school Frederick's of Hollywood?

Little People: "Midget" Just as Bad as a Racial Slur

TresSugar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:00:36 -0700

The group Little People of America wants the FCC to ban the word "midget" from television, claiming that the word is just as offensive as a racial slur. The community maintains that "midget" carries a history of objectification of people who have been used as a visual gag because of a physical difference.

An episode of The Celebrity Apprentice, which aired this past Spring, has prompted the latest call for a ban. During the episode, contestants suggested washing "midgets" in All "small and mighty" detergent, and then hanging them out to dry. One contestant said: "They know that people point and laugh at them and they are comfortable within themselves and they have fun right back."

Whenever I see commercials or movies treating little people as props rather than people, I wonder two things. First: does anyone actually find it enjoyable to laugh at people just because they're different? And second: why is it still acceptable to ridicule little people in a so-called "politically correct" society that allegedly discourages degrading people for characteristics or circumstances they cannot control?

Do you support a ban on the word "midget"?

Source: Flickr User Alan Light's

L'Oreal in Hot Water For Racial Discrimination

TresSugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0700

"Because you're worth it" is L'Oreal's brand slogan - but in France, a few bad apples seemed to think only white Garnier hostesses were worth hawking their shampoo to customers.

An executive from Garnier, L'Oreal's beauty division, sent out a fax in 2000 instructing headquarters to find an all-white team of sales staff to promote Fructis Style. The code term? Find Garnier hostesses, the fax instructed, who are "bleu, blanc, rouge" (blue, white, red), the colors on the French flag and code in business recruitment circles, apparently, for white French people born to white French parents. This directive would have ruled out black, Asian, or Arab representatives, in effect excluding around four million ethnic minorities and people of color that make up France.

France's equivalent of the US Supreme Court, La Cour de Cassation, said that the policy was illegal under French employment law. Although the employee who sent out the fax denies discriminatory intent, claiming that she just wanted hostesses who could "express themselves correctly in French," employees claimed that they were given verbal instructions to favor white sales staff.

Charging Obese Flyers For Two - Reasonable or Ridiculous?

TresSugar — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:46:00 -0700

"Passengers requiring extra space" might be a sugar-coated way to describe overweight individuals, but there's nothing sweet about United Airlines' new policy for such flyers. The airline announced yesterday that larger travelers will have to pay twice as much for a flight.

If you cannot fit in a single seat, buckle a seat belt property, or put the armrest down when seated, then you'll have to buy two tickets. United says it has the safety and comfort of all passengers in mind.

In Canada, obese air travelers have a legal right to an extra seat at no extra cost. The one-person-one-fare policy is considered a guarantee against discrimination. Maybe it's time for the US to have the same law.

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Overweight Dating Show - Discrimination or Inspiration?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:30:51 -0700

Fox has unveiled the latest dating show to hit TV - More to Love. The series will feature "a single average guy with a big waist and an even bigger heart" looking for a full-figured soul mate.

Images of impossibly thin models, actresses, and other celebrities saturate popular culture. Perhaps a show about regular sized people could help us all embrace our natural sizes.

But, I can't help but think of the show's theme as a gimmick, that will further the idea that our weight should dominate our identities.

Do you think the nonskinny will look at the show as a breakthrough? Or would they rather be featured on TV not as an "overweight" person, but just as a person?

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Holy Controversy! Obama's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives

LibertySugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 10:30:08 -0800

Should a religious charity group be allowed to have a policy against hiring homosexuals or individuals outside the faith? What if the organization accepts federal money? That is the question Barack Obama's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives must answer, and the administration has yet to clarify its stance.

Ever since 2002, when President Bush signed an executive order permitting the groups to exclude other faiths and homosexuals, critics have argued that the government has implicitly endorsed discrimination. But, the Civil Rights act of 1964 (passed before the creation of the Office of Faith-Based Organizations) says religious organizations have a right to discriminate in hiring with respect to religion, and the groups argue that they could lose their fundamental identity if they have to hire people outside the faith.

While it's common for federal money to come with strings attached, do you think faith-based organizations should have to choose between following antidiscrimination laws and rejecting federal funds that support their successful charity work?

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Jon Stewart on Irony: 69% of Blacks Voted For Prop. 8

LibertySugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0800

While opponents of California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, protest carrying signs that say "Separate Is Never Equal," they failed to find effective allies in other traditionally marginalized groups. Sixty-nine percent of African-Americans voted for Proposition 8. Thus, high turnout among that demographic eager to vote for Barack Obama also led to a defeat for proponents of marriage equality. On last night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart discussed Tuesday night's irony: America elected its first African-American president, as California wrote discrimination into its constitution.

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Thank Your Uterus? Women Pay More For Health Insurance

LibertySugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Affordable healthcare should be of particular importance to women this election season, as new insurance-company data dissected in today's New York Times reveals that women pay much more than men of the same age for individual insurance policies providing the same coverage.

When women (who have lost their jobs or do not receive employer-based insurance) shop for an individual plan, they are offered higher premiums than men. Insurance companies explain that this makes total sense because women 19-55 years old cost more, for reasons such as childbirth. However, even women without maternity coverage get charged higher rates. To see why, read more.

Perhaps this is because statistics also show that women visit doctors, take prescription medicine, and suffer chronic illnesses more often than men. These disparities mean women pay hundreds of dollars more each year, sometimes as much as 50 percent more than men.

Federal antidiscrimination law prohibits employers from charging women higher premiums for the same benefits, and congress has begun investigating the discrepancy on the private market. Should a healthy woman have to pay more because other people of her gender go to the doctor more or decide to have children? Should a uterus count as a preexisting condition?

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