Virginia Governor Ralph Northam signed House Bill 1514 into law on Wednesday, prohibiting racial discrimination based on hair.

The new law, taking effect July 1, clarifies that discrimination based upon race includes “traits historically associated with race, including hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists.” The law is identical to a previous bill entitled, Senate Bill 50, which was introduced on November 18, 2019.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia expressed their approval of the bill on their Twitter page, stating that “No one should be discriminated because of the hair they were born with.”