LAWMAKERS in France's lower house of parliament approved a Bill today that would ban discrimination over the texture, length, colour or style of someone’s hair.

The Bill’s authors hope it will send a message of support to black people and others who have faced hostility in the workplace and beyond because of their hair.

But the measure still faces a long road. It goes to the Senate next, where it could face opposition.

While only 50 of the National Assembly’s 577 lawmakers were on hand for the vote, they overwhelmingly backed the bill, 44-2. There were four abstentions.

The Bill was proposed by Olivier Serva, a French lawmaker from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe.

He says that if it eventually becomes law, it would make France the first country in the world to recognise discrimination based on hair at a national level.

“This is a great step forward for our country,” Mr Serva said after the vote. “France has done itself proud.”

The Bill would amend existing anti-discrimination measures in the labour code and criminal code to explicitly outlaw discrimination against people with curly and coiled hair or other hairstyles perceived as unprofessional, as well as bald people.

The Bill is now headed for the conservative-dominated Senate, where it will likely face opposition from right-wing and far-right lawmakers.