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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Politics
Brian Osgood

California passes bill banning caste-based discrimination

Califiornia state Senator Aisha Wahab, centre, stands with supporters of SB 403 in the state capital Sacramento in March [File: Jose Luis Villegas/AP Photo]

Los Angeles, California – The California state legislature has become the first in the United States to pass a bill banning discrimination based on caste, a centuries-old system of social stratification with roots in South Asia.

On Tuesday, the State Senate passed SB 403 by a margin of 31-5, adding caste as a form of ancestry protected under state civil rights law, as well as education and housing codes.

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