Lawmakers In France Advance Bill That Would Ban Hair Discrimination

Lawmakers in France’s lower court of parliament have passed a groundbreaking bill that bans discrimination based on the texture, length, color, or style of someone’s hair. 

The bill, proposed by Olivier Serva, a Black lawmaker from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, is seen as a significant step forward in addressing discrimination faced by Black people and others who have been targeted due to their hair. 

Serva hopes it sends a message of support to Black people and others who have faced hostility in the workplace and beyond because of their hair, The Associated Press reports. 

While the bill still needs to pass through the Senate, supporters see its approval in the National Assembly as a positive development. According to Serva, if enacted, France would become the first country in the world to recognize discrimination based on hair at a national level.

“This is a great step forward for our country,” he said after the vote. “France has done itself proud.”

The proposed legislation seeks to amend existing anti-discrimination measures to “explicitly outlaw discrimination against individuals with curly, coiled, or other hairstyles perceived as unprofessional, as well as bald people.” While the bill does not explicitly target race-based discrimination, it addresses a primary motivation behind the legislation.

“People who don’t fit Eurocentric standards are facing discrimination, stereotypes, and bias,” Serva told The Associated Press.

Support for the bill has come from Leftist parties and members of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party, which enabled its passage through the National Assembly. However, according to the Associated Press, it is expected to face opposition in the conservative-dominated Senate, particularly from right-wing and far-right lawmakers who view it as an attempt to import concepts about race and racial discrimination from the United States to France.

Across the United States, 24 states have enacted a version of the CROWN Act, which is an acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. This act prohibits discrimination based on race in employment, housing, schools, and the military. 

Federal legislation in the United States was passed in the House in 2022, but it was blocked by Senate Republicans the following month.

Opponents of the French measure argue that France’s legal structure already provides adequate protection to persons who face discrimination because of their natural hair.