Discrimination Based On Hairstyle May Be Against The Law In California

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - California's Fair Employment and Housing Act may now also protect a person's hairstyle or hair texture from discrimination.

Senate Bill 188 would add both to the list of things not allowed to be used while determining employment or housing.

The current California Fair Employment and Housing Act states: "it is unlawful to engage in specified discriminatory employment practices, including hiring, promotion, and termination based on certain protected characteristics, including race, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification or applicable security regulations. The act also prohibits housing discrimination based on specified personal characteristics, including race."

Those characteristics include:

• Race
• Religious Beliefs
• Sex
• Age

If passed and signed into law, SB 188 would expand those characteristics to include " traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, and would define protective hairstyles for purposes of these provisions."