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Tell me again that fat discrimination doesn’t exist?

From Sandy at JunkFood Science:

It has actually happened. Lawmakers have proposed legislation that forbids restaurants and food establishments from serving food to anyone who is obese (as defined by the State). Under this bill, food establishments are to be monitored for compliance under the State Department of Health and violators will have their business permits revoked.

House Bill 282 was introduced in the 2008 Mississippi legislative session on Friday by Representative W.T. Mayhall, Jr., a retired pharmaceutical salesman with DuPont-Merk. Its co-authors are Bobby Shows, a businessman, and John Read, a pharmacist.

Emphasis mine. Also note that the people who penned the damn thing are in a position to benefit from its repercussions, given that “Prescriptions for obesity drugs in 2006 were more than eight times the number prescribed in 1999“.

In the immortal words of, well, me-just-now: “You’ve got to be fucking shitting me.” In more eloquent terms, i think Meowser said it best:

However, I will say that fat hate is one of the last forms of prejudice in which even most people who are subjected to it think they are getting exactly what they deserve.

So for all of you reading this, i want you to ask yourself: should the way you look affect whether or not you’re allowed to eat in public places? Think carefully before you answer that.

ETA: The address to write in protest is that of Rep. Mayhall, and it’s tmayhall@house.ms.gov. Thanks to The Rotund for that bit of info.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 7:59 pm and is filed under In the news, W. T. F?!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

15 Responses to “Tell me again that fat discrimination doesn’t exist?”

  1. The Rotund » Too fat to eat in public Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 8:04 pm

    [...] go to Lindsay (and you should all be reading her anyway) for pointing out the Junkfood Science article about [...]

  2. The Rotund Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 8:18 pm

    If you want to include Rep. Mayhall’s email address, it is tmayhall@house.ms.gov

  3. Meowser Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 8:28 pm

    Fuckin’ A, Lindsay. If fat people really did run everything, as M*M* Rotten and people like her suggest, Rep. Mayhall would never have dared even suggest this. I mean, career over, here’s your Starbucks apron if they’ll even have you, fuckwaffle. (Thanks for turning me on to that one, Lindsay!) But because way too many of us still think we suck solely because the scale tells us so (including, evidently, one of the bill’s other sponsors, who definitely looks like One Of Us corporeally if not spiritually), shit like this continues to happen.

  4. vesta44 Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 8:37 pm

    I really don’t think the restaurants are going to let this pass. They’re going to raise all kinds of hell because they will be losing quite a few customers (not because they think it’s a travesty, but because it’s going to hit them in their pocketbooks).
    And I want to know how many sports figures will not be allowed to eat in public? If they go strictly by BMI, I would venture to say that most of them would be locked out (not to mention the governor of California and quite a few actors). But just the fact that Mayhall proposed it is scary as hell. Makes me wonder what he has planned next.

  5. Sandy Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 11:09 pm

    I didn’t know where to go with this, and hope it’s okay to put here. If anyone knows a fat activist in the know and in the African-American community, please email me. There is a fat discrimination issue targeting fat blacks that is more serious than this one that I need help with. Thanks!

  6. JFH Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 11:11 pm

    vesta44, to answer your question:

    http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2008/pdf/house_authors/mayhall.xml

    Have a look at some of the other bills by other reps; there’s some doozies.

  7. observer Says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    Sandy:

    You have it right. This is a civil rights issue…and the proposed law is, IMHO, unconstitutional on its face.

    See Title 42, Chapter 21, Subchapter II (Civil Rights: Public Accomodations) of the U.S. Code:

    http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/usc_sup_01_42_10_21_20_II.html

    Yes, the law does not specifically cover obesity (which the Mississippi proposed law does), but never you mind. Why? Simple:
    Fat does not discriminate, and the protected classes mentioned also get fat. A lot.

    Therefore, lock them out of restaurants, and guess what? Uh, huh…

    If this passes, the lawyers will have a field day!

    U.S. Supreme Court, eventually, anyone, if this ends up law?

  8. Godless Heathen Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 1:22 am

    Sandy, don’t hesitate to talk to your local chapter of the NAACP and schedule some time with the legal adviser or legislative consultant. Make sure you go through the local level before talking to the national office, if it’s something the NAACP is interested in the local office can help you build your argument and gather resources.

  9. Jo Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 1:27 am

    I just … I have no words.

    No wait, I do have words. I have three words.

    Oh HELL no.

  10. Dana Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 10:43 am

    This is both sad and funny…I mean who is going to be standing at the door of the local mc donalds and say….you can go in ..you can go in…no wait you can’t because your too fat…. and with what reasoning do they come up with obese?

    then…on the other hand…what about the obese employees who get food for their breaks…will that be cut out for them as well…because if general public can’t eat there why should the obese employees be allowed to…

    I feel this one will be shot down before it ever hits the floor…

  11. Rachele Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 1:22 pm

    Representative W.T. Mayhall, Jr.,

    I understand that you have proposed legislation that forbids restaurants and food establishments from serving food to anyone who is obese. I find this extremely disturbing and shocking. What you have proposed is discrimination and unacceptable. I am 5?9? and 290 lbs and am considered “obese” according to our government’s BMI charts. This country’s idea of “overweight” or “obesity” is grossly inaccurate and not based on the person’s actual health or eating habits. Personally, I am not a binge eater and am happy, healthy and should be treated no differently than someone who weighs less than me or more than me! I am completely horrified at the thought of going to a restaurant and being weighed and told that I couldn’t eat there. Or maybe you think we should be labeled or carry cards to show our BMI? What you are proposing is no different than racial or religious discrimination. We should be coming together as a country to accept all different types and sizes of people and not imposing segregation. I urge you to reconsider proposing and supporting this House Bill. We are not the enemy and there should be no war on obesity. I am not a virus or epidemic and should NOT be quarantined. I deserve to treated fairly and with respect and dignity. I deserve to be treated like a person and have the right to go out and eat at a restaurant without judgement.

  12. Want to hear something totally unbelievable? « It’s An Insane World Out There Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 2:19 pm

    [...] Babble [...]

  13. I Am Carried Upon Gossamer Wings… » Blog Archive » Tell me again that fat discrimination doesn’t exist? Says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 6:32 pm

    [...] “Tell me again that fat discrimination doesn’t exist? From Sandy at JunkFood Science: [...]

  14. Get Real « Set Me Free Says:
    February 3rd, 2008 at 1:22 am

    [...] people” but really.. come on!  I think this is absolutely ridiculous!  Lindsay @ Babble said it right.  I can understand their concern, for the amount of unhealthy overweight people is [...]

  15. Laurel Says:
    February 9th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

    I don’t even feel the need to talk about how ridiculous this is from an obesity standpoint. It’s so much more ridiculous from a fascism standpoint that I can’t believe it’s even up for discussion.

    I know this is a few days old, but my head just stopped spinning.

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