Two bills that sought to add caste as a protected category under New York's anti-discrimination laws failed to advance this legislative session. The bills, New York Senate Bill S.6531 and Assembly Bill A.6920, were first introduced in 2025, triggering a major debate on how these bills would single out and stereotype Hindus, Indians, or South Asian-origin people living in New York State.
Opposition from Coalition of Hindus of North America
The Coalition of Hindus of North America campaigned against the passage of the bills and urged residents to appeal to their assembly member or senator to vote against these bills. They argued that caste is not a neutral term and instead of making caste a protected category, the assembly and the senate should consider adding ancestry as a category in New York's Human Rights Law.
The coalition celebrated as the bills failed to advance. "As a Bahujan Hindu myself, I have held many meetings with lawmakers in New York for the past two years to share my story and to educate. I find it offensive that New York State would try to weaponize my identity against my own culture and traditions that provide me solace and strength," said Sudha Jagannathan, the coalition's director of government relations.
Study Cited by Opponents
The coalition cited a 2024 study from Rutgers University Social Perception Lab and the Network Contagion Research Institute, stating that even casual references and talk about caste from people with institutional power have had severe consequences, including making individuals more likely to agree with Hitler-like statements against Hindus and Indian-Americans.
Arguments from Supporters
Supporters of the proposed bills argued that existing laws do not provide caste protection and victims may be reluctant to report discrimination in the absence of such explicit protections. The two bills were sponsored by state Senator James Sanders Jr and Assemblymember Steven Raga. They defined caste as a system of social stratification based on inherited status, social rank, occupation, ancestry, and related characteristics.
