Georgia Becomes First U.S. State to Introduce Bill Recognizing Hinduphobia

Georgia has become the first U.S. state to introduce a bill that aims to legally recognize anti-Hindu discrimination, or ‘Hinduphobia’, in its criminal code. This move from the legislature could give police the power to better address such biased acts.

The introduced bill, SB 375, is bipartisan. Republican senators Shawn Still and Clint Dixon, and Democratic senators Jason Esteves and Emanuel D. Jones, introduced the bill together. The Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA), in a press release on X, announced the bill and its aims.

The State of Georgia, according to CoHHA has introduced SB 375, which formally updates the state penal code to recognize Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bias, and permits law enforcement and other authorities to consider Hinduphobia when recording such bias and taking appropriate action.

The Georgia Hindus Political Action Committee (PAC) has also given its backing to the bill. This comes on the heels of Georgia’s historic 2023 achievement of being the first state to adopt a county-level resolution to recognize discrimination against Hindus.

Legal Language of the Bill

As set out by legiscan.com, the bill aims to modify Chapter 1 of Title 50 of Georgia’s official code. The amendments would mandate some government agencies to add ‘Hinduphobia’ to their definition of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, or national origin. The proposed legislation also empowers fact-finders in criminal proceedings to take Hinduphobia into account when determining whether victims or property were targeted intentionally.

The bill also specifies the parameters of the definition, legal restrictions, enforcement conditions, and the effective date of the bill, as well as repealing any existing contradicting laws.

Hindu Population in the U.S.

Hindus, who constitute approximately 0.9% of the U.S. population or around 2.5 million individuals—based on the 2023–24 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study, have increasingly complained against anti-Hindu hate.

At the same time, in California, Hindu-American organizations such as CoHNA are resisting another legislative push: SB 509. Sponsored by Senator Anna Caballero, the bill aims to establish a training program under the Office of Emergency Services to assist officials in detecting and responding to ‘transnational repression’.

This is referring to actions by foreign governments or their agents targeting individuals or groups residing in exile, including through harassment, intimidation, or violence. But Hindu groups contend that California’s bill language is too vague and could be used to unfairly target Hindus.