In a historic move, the California State Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would ban caste-based discrimination in the State.

The state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would update California’s civil rights law to explicitly include protections against discrimination based on a person’s perceived caste. The measure, the first such effort by a US state legislature, would give people legal recourse to address claims of caste bias and discrimination in housing, employment, education, and other areas. It was approved 34-1.

Promoters of the bill, being led by the non-profit Equality Lab, said that a similar bill is being introduced in the State House of Representatives before it can be sent to the Governor to be signed into law.

Those who have suffered systemic harm as a result of caste bias and prejudice are explicitly protected by SB 403's provisions. Additionally, it establishes clear legal repercussions for anyone who tries to escape accountability or responsibilities for condoning or taking part in caste-based violence.

Introduced by California Senator Aisha Wahab, SB 403 adds caste as a protected category to an existing law, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which provides that all people in the state of California are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments.

Wahab, an Afghan American, claimed that while growing up in Fremont, a city in California's San Francisco Bay Area, she saw the toll caste took on other families.

This bill would update California’s existing civil rights law to include caste among other protected categories like race and sex.

“The more diverse California becomes and the United States becomes, we need to protect more people in the way the American dream was originally supposed to,” Wahab told NBC News when she introduced the bill in March. “Our laws need to expand and cover more people and go deeper.”

But the legislation isn’t without its opponents. Some Indian American groups have spoken against SB 403, saying that adding protection against caste discrimination isn’t necessary in the U.S. and that it discriminates against Indians and Hindus. 

But Wahab said the bill is designed to protect groups across religions, nationalities, and communities. It has the support of the American Civil Liberties Union, MeToo International, and the California Labor Federation. 

This landmark bill comes just weeks after the California Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed SB403 in April. It also follows the Seattle City Council’s historic legislation banning caste discrimination earlier this year, as well as resolutions to designate caste as a protected category passed by the California Democratic Party, the California State University system, the Alphabet Workers Union, tech giants like Apple and Cisco, and others.

A coalition of groups across faiths and caste backgrounds also supported the bill.

“This is a win rooted in years of Dalit feminist organizing, and we are just getting started in making the state safe for our entire caste-oppressed community,” Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director of the Dalit advocacy organization Equality Labs, said in a statement. “We know that we have a long journey ahead of us with this bill, but we have made history with this vote and are proud to look forward to working with the California Assembly on this historic bill!”

The bill now moves to the California State Assembly for consideration.

Image source: AP