Hawaii's Body Odor Bill Raises a Stink

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-09-04 13:11:00 UTC
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Yesterday, Hawaii transportation officials presented a bill that would have criminalized having "offensive body odor" on public trains and buses. Today, after a civil rights advocates nationwide raised a stink, that bill is scrapped.

The bill was presented just days after a Canadian city gained international ridicule for spreading bird dung around its social services building to prevent homeless people from loitering.

Do I smell a theme this week?

The authors of the bill said the legislation was introduced primarily due to constituent concerns. Perhaps I'm mistaken here, but this seems like an indirect way of barring chronically homeless individuals from using public transit.

Currently, individuals with foul body odor can be asked to leave public transit in Hawaii. But had this bill been passed, it would have become a criminal offense, punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six days in prison, or both.

It's too bad Hawaii lawmakers are wasting their time with such nonsensical legislation (that is, of course, assuming that this bill was at least partially intended to keep public transportation clear of homeless people). Why not focus on more worthwhile efforts to help homeless people that we can collectively support, rather than something so cruel and divisive?

And if they need ideas for real homeless solutions, they needn't look farther than Kalaeloa. This past Wednesday, the town opened 80-units of renovated housing for homeless veterans. In other words, 80 veterans who were sleeping on the streets of Hawaii now have a key to their own home.

Now that's a real solution we can all celebrate.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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