Discrimination on the basis of body modification

by Walter Olson on October 2, 2007

“Some San Antonio apartment complexes are refusing to rent to people with tattoos and body piercings.” How long before someone proposes passing a law against such bias? (“Some SA Apartments Banning Tattoos”, WOAI, Sept. 26). More: Coyote.

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{ 6 comments }

1 Thufir 10.01.07 at 11:31 pm

I would be surprised if there was a correlation between tattoos and a suspect classification. Class maybe; classification no.

2 Supremacy Claus 10.02.07 at 8:43 am

Thufir: I would not be surprised if there were a correlation between tattoos and a suspicious classification. Sociopathy and bad credit maybe, classiness, no.

If people can trash their bodies, what can they do to an apartment?

3 Anonymous Attorney 10.02.07 at 11:29 am

The surest route to victory here is to allege that the tattoo/piercing ban is a pretext for racial or religious discrimination. Find a Wiccan with a nose piercing or a Hispanic person with a Virgin Mary tattoo, and you’ll have a full head of steam against the apartment complex.

I always have to wonder, having once lived in NYC, how the multi-million dollar co-ops manage to keep out anyone they please, but middle class apartment complexes, single-family neighborhoods and Craig’s List advertisers get creamed by the apparatus.

4 wavemaker 10.02.07 at 1:24 pm

Walter, if tattoos were deemed a form of free speech, could they be prohibited in federally subsidized housing?

5 Stephen 10.02.07 at 2:34 pm

I would imagine that the people who apply to live in a co-op understand that they may not get chosen to live there and I would posture that the co-op boards use somewhat less slippery slope and/or logically flawed reasoning for deciding whether to disallow someone to live there. It also helps to not tell people why you aren’t accepting them and to not end up in the newspaper about your obnoxious practices.

6 Richard Nieporent 10.02.07 at 5:03 pm

I always have to wonder, having once lived in NYC, how the multi-million dollar co-ops manage to keep out anyone they please, but middle class apartment complexes, single-family neighborhoods and Craig’s List advertisers get creamed by the apparatus.

The answer is simple AA. The trial attorneys live in the million dollar co-ops. :)

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