After a bill to abolish caste discrimination was passed in the state assembly on Monday (August 28), California is one step closer to becoming the first American state to do so. According to the news agency Reuters, the assembly passed the bill- SB403- by a near-unanimous vote early Wednesday. State Senator Aisha Wahab, an Afghan-American Democrat, sponsored and wrote the measure in March.
According to Reuters, an earlier version of the law cleared the Senate before being revised. “Proud to announce Senator Aisha Wahab’s bill SB403 which I presented on the Assembly floor today, passed on a 55-3 vote. This bill prohibits discrimination based on caste in California,” Assemblymember Damon Connolly posted on X, earlier known as Twitter, on Tuesday. (https://mclaneedgers.com)
I’m pleased to report that Senator @aishabbwahab’s measure #SB403, which I introduced on the Assembly floor today, was approved by a vote of 55-3. In California, this bill makes caste discrimination illegal.
The new version will now be sent back to the state Senate for a vote, where it is likely to pass before being signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Discrimination laws in the United States prohibit ancestral discrimination but do not explicitly prohibit casteism. The bill in California tackles the caste system in South Asian immigrant groups by including caste among the protected categories under the state’s anti-discrimination legislation.
According to Reuters, those who oppose caste prejudice argue that it is no different from other forms of discrimination such as racism, and should thus be prohibited.
Seattle became the first American city to criminalize caste discrimination in February when the city council agreed to include caste in the city’s anti-discrimination rules.