Seattle is the first U.S. city to ban caste discrimination

Supporters and protesters gathered Tuesday at the Seattle City Hall with questions about adding caste to the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance. Caste is a Hindu system of dividing people based on birth or family lineage. Seattle is the first city to pass such a law outside South Asia. Council Member Kshama Sawant, a socialist and the only Indian American on the city council, proposed the ordinance, saying that “caste discrimination is very real in Seattle.” About 2 percent of the adults in Seattle are Hindu, according to a 2015 Pew Research survey. The councilwoman who cast the only dissenting vote, Sara Nelson, said the ordinance could lead to more discrimination against Hindus. 

Is there any precedent for this sort of rule? The California State University System, Colby College, Brown University, and the University of California, Davis have all adopted similar rules against caste discrimination. Two Hindu professors last year sued California State University over the policy. 

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Dunn’s report in Schooled on American universities offering protections from caste discrimination.