Two class bills failed to advance in New York State.
Two bills seeking to add caste as a protected category under New York’s anti-discrimination laws failed to move forward this legislative session. The two bills, New York Senate Bill S.6531 and Assembly Bill A.6920, were first introduced in 2025, sparking significant debate about how these bills discriminate and stereotype Hindus, Indians, or people of South Asian descent living in New York State.
The Hindu Coalition of North America campaigned against the passage of the bills and urged residents to appeal to their assemblyman or senator to vote against these bills. They said caste is not a neutral term, and instead of making caste a protected category, the Assembly and Senate should consider adding ancestry as a category in New York’s human rights law.The coalition cheered as the bills failed to advance. “As a Bahujan Hindu, I have held numerous meetings with New York legislators over the past two years to share my story and educate.
“I find it insulting that New York State would try to use my identity as a weapon against my culture and traditions that provide me solace and strength,” said Sudha Jagannathan, director of government relations for the coalition.The coalition cited a 2024 study from Rutgers University’s Social Cognition Lab and the Network Contagion Research Institute and said the study found that even casual references and talk about caste from people with institutional power had significant consequences, including making individuals more likely to agree with Hitler-like statements against Hindus and Indian Americans.
An advocate for the proposed bills said current laws do not provide class-based protections and that victims may be reluctant to report discrimination in the absence of such explicit protections. The bills, sponsored by Senator James Sanders Jr. and Assemblyman Stephen Rajah, define caste as a system of social stratification based on inherited status, social rank, occupation, ancestry and related characteristics.
