The Ugly face of Ugly Laws

The Ugly Laws, also known as the unsightly beggar ordinances, were a series of laws that were enforced in the United States and other countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

These laws criminalized people with disabilities, deformities, or any physical characteristic that was deemed "unsightly" or "disgusting" in public spaces.

The origins of the Ugly Laws can be traced back to the mid-19th century when cities began to grow rapidly, and industrialization led to an increase in poverty and homelessness. In response to these societal changes, city officials sought to regulate public spaces, including streets and sidewalks, and restrict the presence of certain groups of people, including disabled folks.

The first Ugly Law was enacted in San Francisco in 1867, and similar laws were subsequently passed in other cities, including Chicago, New York, and Denver.  

The punishment under the Ugly Laws varied depending on the specific city or state in which the law was enforced. However, common forms of punishment included fines, imprisonment, or forced institutionalization in a hospital or asylum.

So the disabled could be arrested simply for appearing in public spaces, including streets, sidewalks, and public buildings. In some cases, police officers or other authorities would use their own discretion in determining who should be arrested or fined, based on their personal biases or prejudices.The Ugly Laws were often enforced without regard for the civil rights or dignity of the disabled, and many people who were arrested or institutionalized under these laws experienced great hardship and abuse.

The Ugly Laws were justified under the guise of public health and safety, with proponents claiming that people with disabilities were a threat to public health and morality. However, the laws were also a means of social control and discrimination against the disabled, who were seen as undesirable and unworthy of inclusion in public life.

The Ugly Laws persisted until the mid-20th century, when disability rights activists began to challenge these discriminatory practices. Disability rights groups, including the League of the Physically Handicapped and the National Association of the Deaf, organized protests and legal challenges to the Ugly Laws, arguing that they violated the civil rights of the disabled.

The Ugly Laws were repealed at different times in different states and cities, and it's unclear which state was the last to repeal them. However, it's known that the Ugly Laws were still in effect in some cities as late as the 1970s.


For example, in Chicago, the Ugly Laws were repealed in 1974 after years of activism by disability rights advocates, including a high-profile protest in which activists chained themselves to buses to draw attention to the issue. In Omaha, Nebraska, the Ugly Law was repealed in 1974, after a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a man with cerebral palsy who was arrested for appearing in public.

In many cases, the repeal of the Ugly Laws was not the result of a single event or action but rather a gradual shift in attitudes towards the disabled and a growing recognition of their civil rights. Today, while the Ugly Laws are no longer enforced, people with disabilities continue to face discrimination and barriers to full participation in society. Disability rights advocates work to challenge ableism and promote greater inclusion and accessibility for all.

(Written Oct '21)

References

Baynton, D. C. (2001). Disability and the justification of inequality in American history. In P. K. Longmore & L. Umansky (Eds.), The New Disability History: American Perspectives (pp. 33-57). New York: NYU Press.

Kudlick, C. (2003). Reflections on freaks. In M. Corker & T. Shakespeare (Eds.), Disability/Postmodernity: Embodying Disability Theory (pp. 33-47). London: Continuum.

McRuer, R. (2006). Crip theory: Cultural signs of queerness and disability. New York: NYU Press.

Norton, R. (2016). Ugly laws: Disability in public. New York: NYU Press.

"The 'Ugly Laws': When Being Disabled Was A Crime" (NPR, 2014): https://www.npr.org/2014/12/18/371437472/the-ugly-laws-when-being-disabled-was-a-crime

"Chicago's Ugly Laws Repealed: A Look Back" (Chicago Tribune, 2014): https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-ugly-laws-chicago-history-flashback-20141020-story.html

"The Law That Made It Legal to Ban People With Disabilities From Restaurants" (Smithsonian Magazine, 2017): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/law-made-it-legal-ban-people-with-disabilities-restaurants-180962121/