August 2022 NAAFA Newsletter |
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8/17/22 National Nonprofit Day |
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National Nonprofit Day, August 17th, was declared a national holiday to recognize nonprofits' impacts on their communities and the world. We are asking you to help NAAFA reach our fundraising goal of $10,000 to support NAAFA's programs. When you give to NAAFA, it's not just a tax-deductible donation, it's an investment in:
- Fat Community programming and support
- Public education thru advocacy and information
- Societal change thru support of legislative change
GIVE TODAY
WE COME IN ALL SIZES
And donations do, too!
GIVE TOMORROW
Set up recurring donations easily from our website or thru PayPal
GIVE FOR OUR FUTURE
Investing in the future of fat liberation will change our world
SHARE THIS POST
Let your friends know that you care about Fat Liberation and Ending Fat Discrimination and encourage them to support NAAFA, too
Give thru our social media fundraisers or go to naafa.org/give |
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Report from the International Weight Stigma Conference
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The annual Weight Stigma Conference (WSC) is an international gathering of scholars, advocates, community leaders, and others whose work addresses weight stigma (bias against people who are considered "overweight" in their cultures). Founded by British scholar and activist Dr. Angela Meadows in 2013, the conference has been held in Birmingham (UK), Canterbury (UK), Reykjavik (Iceland), Vancouver (Canada), Prague (Czech Republic), Leeds (UK), and London (UK). COVID-related delays made this year only the 8th in-person conference, with a commitment to adding more virtual elements in 2023 and a fully hybrid conference in 2024. 2023 and 2024 locations are yet to be announced.
NAAFA has supported the conference as a sponsor for many years. This year, for the first time, we sent an official delegation. Board Chair Tigress Osborn and Board Member-at-Large Elaine Lee traveled to Berlin in July to represent NAAFA at the conference and learn from fat community leaders from sixteen countries.
This year's conference focused on legislation and policy. The gathering was held in the historic Senate Hall at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and members of the local German media and government were invited to come and learn more in support of German activists' work toward legal protections for fat people in Germany. This work is led by the local host group, Gesellschaft gegen Gewichtsdiskriminierung (the German Association Against Weight Discrimination). Activists in Germany hope to make their nation the first to pass national fat rights legislation.
The conference was keynoted by Dr. Asher Larmie (@thefatukdoctor) and Dr. Hannele Harjunen. Dr. Larmie is a transgender non-binary UK-based GP and fat activist who founded the #noweighcampaign. They recently left medicine after 20 years, and their presentation highlights why we should be distrustful of the medical industrial complex. Dr. Harjunen is a Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies at University of Jyvaskyla in Finland. She presented about neoliberalism and the gendered body. There were also 30 other topics in panels and breakout sessions, ranging from weight stigma in Chilean children, to body image among Iranian-Americans, to how trans activism influences fat depathologisation in Argentina. Weight stigma was considered in the context of pregnancy, food justice, self-esteem, consumerism, education, eating disorder treatment, and more. There were also interactive workshops including writing and art, as well as plenty of time for networking and cross-cultural relationship building.
Tigress was featured on the opening panel of the conference. She presented an overview of fat rights law in the US, as well as updates about pending legislation. The presentation received a warm reception from the group and an enthusiastic response to her insistence that we do not have to partner with anti-obesity organizations in our pursuit of fat rights legislation. Conference planners and participants tweeted slides from her presentation and posted them to Instagram stories.
The full conference program is available here, and the conference webpage will eventually include materials from many conference presentations.
In addition to conference sponsorship and attendance, NAAFA helped spread the word about the Dr. Cat Pause Memorial Travel Bursary Fund. Lisa Moura, a nutritionist and post-grad student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was the first recipient of the Dr. Pause Travel Fellowship. The bursary fund also raised enough money to provide additional support to other travelers from the Global South, resulting in the largest South American participation in conference history. We look forward to future conferences outside of Europe and North America! To join the WSC mailing list for updates about future conferences, visit weightstigmaconference.com and use the sign-up box on the right of the screen.
We are grateful for the support of five anonymous donors, who covered our registration, travel and lodging expenses. To support future NAAFA participation in the WSC, or to support any of our important education and advocacy efforts, give today at naafa.org/give |
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Happy Fat Liberation Month!
 During the month of August, we have been asking folx on social media what Fat Liberation means to them. In this social media reel, NAAFA Chair Tigress Osborn tells us what fat liberation means to her, and about the influence of the Fat Liberation Manifesto created by the Fat Underground. If you want to learn more about the history of fat liberation, you can watch a video available on YouTube or read more on the Fat Lib Archive.
We'd love for you to create a short reel or meme for yourself this month and share it on your favorite social media using #fatliberationmonth |
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Health At Every Size and HAES are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health, and are used with permission.
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Join Us at Fat Fridays Virtual Social Club! Event Is Free!
presented by NAAFA and hosted by Bree (@BreeIsHelpfulAF) |
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The Fat Fridays Social Club is held via Zoom and is an affinity space only for folx who identify as fat. (Ages 16+) Next gathering is 8/26, 5:30 - 7:30 PM PDT
Each month has a theme. The theme for August is #Clothing. Here's what you can expect:
1. Introductions - Name, pronouns, location (learn the First Peoples of your location at native-land.ca)
2. Themed discussion about Clothing
3. Themed game - Clothing-themed Et Cetera! (Winner will choose next month's theme!)
4. Open social time
Themed dress is totally encouraged! (But not required.)
You must RSVP at bit.ly/ff-aug22
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Anti-Racism Resources
compiled by Darliene Howell
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We continue with another entry in the NAAFA Chronicles! This month we present NAAFA's 79th newsletter, from March 1987.
For more, check out the "Chronicles" page of NAAFA's website, https://naafa.org/chronicles
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Research Survey Opportunities
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Last month, NAAFA introduced
Research Survey Opportunities in the NAAFA Newsletter and on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. While we do our best to vet each opportunity, these research opportunities are not sponsored by NAAFA and your participation is at your own risk. All questions should be directed to the contact person listed in the announcement.
Having said that, please participate as you see fit and help to make the needs of fat community better understood and heard.
Survey Title: Experience Using Public Transportation
Who should participate? All fat/larger-bodied people that utilize public transportation (i.e., buses, shuttles, trains, water ferries, commuter buses, aerial tramways/cable cars)
Submission period: 7/10/22 - 9/4/22 (extended)
Purpose of the survey: A group of leaders in the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) are conducting research for transit industry CEOs and Administrators to improve customer experience for fat and larger bodied people. The team wants to gain perspective from your experiences and interactions on-board public transit to make a compelling case for transit CEOs to make intentional changes to system/facility design and employee training. We want the experience to be an inclusive, safe, and an accepting environment where fat and larger bodied people are valued.
Link to survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YourTransitExperience
Who to contact with questions: Nicholas Sofoul, AICP (he/him/his), nsofoul@gmail.com
Survey Title: Kent State Fat Identity and Community Well-Being Survey
Who should participate? All larger-bodied people
Submission period: Now through 8/31/22
Purpose of the survey: Social identities are important in preventing negative psychological and physical effects of stigma and discrimination, but little is known about the development of social identity among people with high weight. This study will explore how personal experiences impact identity formation as people with high weight (i.e., fat identity). Participants will complete questionnaires about their experiences with weight, beliefs about weight, and their attitudes towards weight. It is expected that the younger someone was when they first became fat and the longer they have been fat will be associated with beliefs that weight is uncontrollable and increased association with fat peers. Thus, these experiences are expected to be associated with increased fat identity and better outcomes.
Link to survey: https://kent.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8vxKGaY7zso2AdM
Who to contact with questions: Karen Wetzel, Kent State University Graduate Student, Psychological Sciences at kwetzel9@kent.edu
Survey Title: Care Rationing Survey
Who should participate? If you, or someone you know, was denied care during COVID due to care rationing, or due to perceptions about limited medical resources, please take this survey to share your story.
If you are a medical professional who witnessed or participated in care rationing, please take this survey.
If you, or someone you know, were almost denied care and you want to share what happened, please take this survey. We will use the statistics and stories to help advocate for access to treatment for people at risk of discrimination.
Submission period: NOW (Ongoing)
Purpose of the survey: During emergencies like the COVID pandemic, when hospitals are overwhelmed with the number of people needing help, they turn to “care rationing.” Care rationing means medical providers limit the types of care they provide to certain people.
Sometimes care rationing means that people will be denied life-saving care and instead will only receive care to help them be more comfortable. When care rationing happens on the basis of certain characteristics, it can be unlawful or wrong. Because COVID precautions often mean patients are without their usual support systems, care rationing can happen behind closed doors without input from family members, friends, support workers, or community. It is important to share stories of discrimination so that all people receive fair treatment.
Link to survey: flareproject.org/rationingsurvey/ (Available in English and Spanish)
Who to contact with questions: Contact F.L.A.R.E. through their contact form at flareproject.org/home/contact/
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During Fat Liberation Month, we hope you are enjoying the program content that we have put together. In addition to our special National Nonprofit Day fundraiser, all month we are asking you to help NAAFA continue to produce content and programming, and reach our fundraising goal of $10,000.
Give thru our social media fundraiser on Facebook or Instagram, PayPal, or go to naafa.org/give
WE COME IN ALL SIZES
And donations do, too!
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Media and Research Roundup
by Bill and Terri Weitze
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July 18, 2022: Researchers find that more children are attempting weight loss, including children considered to be at a "healthy" weight, in England. Despite this trend, it is believed that it can be fixed by properly targeting the government's weight-loss message.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jul/18/alarming-rise-in-children-trying-to-lose-weight-in-england-say-experts
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2021-323493
July 26, 2022: USA Today starts a series discussing how science has shown that fat people are not to blame for failure to lose weight. Unfortunately, article centers on a woman who successfully lost weight through surgery and drugs: something science has shown is not doable by most fat people. The second link is to another USA article that requires a paid subscription to view.
https://news.yahoo.com/obesity-long-considered-personal-failing-090204825.html
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/health/2022/07/26/fat-shaming-wont-fix-obesity/9906603002
July 29, 2022: Part 4 of USA Today's 6-part series discusses socio-economic impact on weight and health. While the middle of the article has a list of some good advice on dealing with fat shame, there's a lot of focus on "healthy" eating and "healthy" lifestyle.
https://news.yahoo.com/americans-dont-choose-fat-many-090207344.html
July 29, 2022: After failing to establish minimum seat dimensions, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requesting input from the public on dimensions and pitch of seating on commercial aircraft. The second link connects you to the FAA site for this survey; the third link is to the FAA's Notice. All responses must be received no later than November 1, 2022.
https://simpleflying.com/faa-minimum-seat-size-request-for-comment
https://www.faa.gov/seat-size-comments
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FAA-2022-1001-0001
July 30, 2022: When U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz publicly fat shamed 19-year-old LGBTQ activist Olivia Julianna, he gave Olivia a platform to speak for the rights of women, fat people, and LGBTQ folx, while allowing her to raise over $1 million for abortion access in 72 hours. Words matter.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/07/30/body-shame-win-teenager-gaetz/
August 10, 2022: A recent study looks at weight-bias among healthcare practitioners (HCP) and concludes that HCP need better education and a less weight-centric approach to healthcare. Research on weight, health and mortality needs to include the confounding and/or mediating effects of weight-stigma.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/10/obese-patients-weight-shamed-doctors-nurses
https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13494
August 12, 2022: Enjoy illustrator and children's book author Phoebe Wahl's lovely illustrations and story about the joys of swimming while fat.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/12/opinion/swimming-weight.html |
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Founded in 1969, NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
On the web: https://naafa.org
Comments: pr@naafa.org
Newsletter Content Editors: Darliene Howell and Tigress Osborn
Newsletter Layout Editor: Bill Weitze
Any products or services mentioned in articles in this newsletter are for information only and should not be considered endorsements by NAAFA.
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