丑律

indy

There are numerous antiquated laws in each state and though no longer upheld, are still considered laws, never having been removed from the books. One of these laws is the “Ugly Law”.  Numerous towns across the country enacted their own version of the Ugly Law as a way of removing people from their streets who were considered unsightly, whether by result of homelessness, injury, illness, or natural appearance.

In 1867, San Francisco was the first city in the United States to enact the “Ugly Law” in an attempt of ridding its streets of handicap people, which were seen as blemishes to the city. This included soldiers who may have lost a limb or had become disfigured due to injury sustained during the Civil War, as well as any individual who walked with a limp or used a wheelchair. Anyone found to meet the requirements of what was considered “ugly” could be arrested and/or fined.

Portland, Oregon and Chicago enacted the Ugly Law in 1881, followed by New Orleans in 1883. New Orleans included those who were mentally disabled in their Ugly Law, in which those individuals were referred to as a “pitiable nuisance”.

Regarding the Ugly Law in Chicago, an ordinance read, “Any person who is diseased, maimed, mutilated, or in any way deformed, so as to be an unsightly or disgusting object, or an improper person to be allowed in or on the streets, highways, thoroughfares, or public places in the city, shall not therein or thereon expose himself or herself to public view, under the penalty of a fine of $1 for each offense.”
In some instances in other locations, a fine of up to $50 could be charged. Those who were unable to pay the fine were sent to a poorhouse.

Denver, Colorado and Lincoln, Nebraska enacted the Ugly Law in 1889. The entire state of Pennsylvania enacted the law in 1891, followed by Columbus, Ohio in 1894, as well as various other towns and cities throughout the late 19th century.

Women found this law to be more harsh on them than on men, as women were held to a higher standard of attractiveness. A woman could be fined for simply walking in a way not considered feminine.

The entire state of New York tried enacting the Ugly Law in 1895 but failed. Reno, Nevada enacted the law in 1905 and Los Angeles tried enacting it in 1913 but failed.

Ugly laws were no longer being upheld by the mid 1910s, though they remained in law books.

The last time the Ugly Law was invoked was in 1974, when an Omaha, Nebraska police officer used it as a reason for arresting a homeless man, stating the man had scars and marks on his body and that his appearance was making people in public uncomfortable. The judge and assistant prosecutor in the case noted there was no legal definition for “ugly” and criminal prosecution would demand proving someone is ugly. The end result was the city prosecutor not filing charges against the homeless man, noting that while the law was still active, this individual could not be proven to be ugly.

indy

indy