Seattle becomes first US city to ban caste-based discrimination

Provision comes amid calls for change from South Asian diaspora communities but faces opposition from some Hindu Americans

Seattle has become the first city in the US to ban caste-based discrimination, after council members voted on Tuesday to add the provision to the city’s anti-bias 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. Proponents of the ordinance, which was approved by a 6-1 vote, say without such laws, those facing caste discrimination in the US will have no protections.