Seattle Council to vote on outlawing caste discrimination

The Seattle City Council is considering whether to add caste to the city’s anti-discrimination laws. Calls to outlaw discrimination based on caste, a division of people based on birth or descent, have grown louder among South Asian diaspora communities in the United States. Proponents of the ordinance say caste discrimination crosses national and religious boundaries and that without such laws, those facing caste discrimination in the U.S. will have no protections. If this proposed ordinance passes, Seattle will become the first city in the U.S. to outlaw castebased discrimination.