The California state Senate has overwhelmingly passed a bill that would make discrimination on the basis of caste illegal in the state.
State Sen. Aisha Wahab has proposed a bill that makes caste a protected category under California's anti-discrimination laws.
“There are so many people that want to heal from the trauma of caste,” Thenmozhi Soundararajan, a Dalit activist and the founder of the caste equity organization Equality Labs, told NBC News following the vote. “What’s been incredible about this moment is to see these really beautiful inter-caste and interfaith alliances, groups that have all said that they’ve been harmed by caste and want freedom from it.
This bill would update California’s existing civil rights law to include caste among other protected categories like race and sex. But the legislation isn’t without its opponents. Some Indian American groups have spoken against SB 403, saying that adding protection against caste discrimination isn’t necessary in the U.S. and that it discriminates against Indians and Hindus.
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