Obesity: A Protected Class?

When has someone faced persecution because of obesity? And I mean real persecution. When has an obese person been paid less for the same work than a non-obese person? When has an obese person been denied education because they are obese? When has someone been lynched or legally defined as 2/3 of a person because they are obese?

Historically, being "mean" to someone should not be not grounds for protected status. Someone's whole living, inalienable rights to life, liberty and happiness should have been violated historically in order to warrant protection. "I'm fat and i can't fit in this seat" is not the same as "you're a woman, so you can't vote", you're black so we're going to lynch you, you're gay, so you can't marry."

If we do allow obesity to become a protected class, we trivialize the true struggle other groups have gone through just to be viewed as an equal human being.

No one in America (that I am aware of...) has faced persecution due to obesity yet... but lets not let it get that far. Are obese people treated differently? DEFINITLY! As a woman, I can tell you that I get preferrential treatment by all sorts of people due to my smaller size... I would not get that kind of treatment were I fat. The fact is that "good-looking" people tend to get more promotions than "ugly" people. This is discrimination. Just because no one has been killed yet, doesn't mean that we shouldn't draw the line to end discrimination.

So there is "you're a woman but you can't vote!" and that's a problem. What about "you're fat, so you can't become the CEO"? Isn't that the same type of discriminating attitude?

I have mixed feelings as well. I dont think someone should be discriminated against because they have a weight issue as far as getting a job where weight shouldn't be a factor. Plus Obesity is not always a choice the example about certain gland issues etc... BUT I'm definitely not for giving people free things like housing and food just because they're obese. In most cases it is a lifestyle choice that lead to obesity not so much that people have just chosen to be obese. Life styles can be changed as many of us here have proven.
Not that it really matters anyway in America you'd probably just have people gaining weight on purpose to be put in the category to abuse the system. Sadly most well meant systems end up that way.

Very little proof demonstrates weight gain as a side effect of psychiatric medicines. Weight gain is only identified as a potential side effect because it is reported by the patients. However, correlation does not equal causation, and proof does not exist that weight gain is a direct effect of beginning a new medication. Some anti-psychotics, such as Risperdal, have been clearly identified as inhibiting parts of the brain that affect appetite, but for the most part, SSRI's and other antidepressants have not been prove to have a direct effect on weight gain or loss. If one is medically prescribed an anti-psychotic, then they have proof of a disability. At the same time, however, you are not required to provide your company with your medical history, and very few people will openly admit to be taking an anti-psychotic, IF they are even functioning (since anti-psychotic meds are generally prescribed to the hospitalized). Therefore, it is highly difficult to prove discrimination, but even if a situation such as this were to occur, then the disability would be a mental disability and obesity would be only a consequence of that disability.

Very little proof demonstrates weight gain as a side effect of psychiatric medicines. Weight gain is only identified as a potential side effect because it is reported by the patients. However, correlation does not equal causation, and proof does not exist that weight gain is a direct effect of beginning a new medication.

Since I work in H.R., I have to deal with various cases dealing with discrimination, harrassment, violence in the workplace, etc.... Historically, courts had found that obesity is a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) only when it has a physiological cause. However, recently the court has ruled otherwise and Michigan, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. have laws that expressly make weight a protected class like women and minorities are.

With the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S. (more than one-third of the U.S. adults approx. 35.7% and approx. 17% of children and adolescents) and those numbers expected to rise, do you think it is fair to place them in a protected class? I personally think that obesity is something most, not all, people can change. You can't change that you were born a female or that you are Black, Hispanic, etc... or that you are blind, have cerebral palsy....I think you get my point.

Disclaimer: I am not in any way criticizing obese people. I believe in health and wellness and there are too many facts and research to share on here to support my belief.