NAAFA Community Voices Blog
Sharing thoughts and ideas from fat community.
Image shows a young black woman with blonde hair and wearing glasses, a pink sweater and a laptop on the desk in front of her.
Blog postings are shown in date order of posting (newest to oldest). You may search by author, tag or use the following categories: Events, From the Newsletter, Guest Posts, History, Legislation, LGBTQIA+, Medical, Press Releases, Resource Guides, Videos, Webinars.
Want to write for the Community Voices Blog? Submit your idea here!
NAAFA Chronicles 68: April 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. This month is the April 1986 issue of the NAAFA Chronicles and discuss weight loss marketing, media and publicity watches, and whether or not NAAFA should publish commentary on health issues.
Media and Research Roundup
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media and Research Roundup. This issue features: IG recommending weight loss to teens, wheelchair assistance when flying, and more.
NAAFA Chronicles 67: March 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. This month is the March 1986 issue of the NAAFA Chronicles and discuss a weight discrimination law suit in Arizona, a plus-size fashion layout in Vogue and more.
NAAFA Recognizes Latinx Heritage Month
Latinx Heritage Month runs from September 15 through October 15 and it’s a time of celebration for Americans to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of US residents whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. As it has in the past, this month NAAFA will shine a spotlight on some Latinx folks who have been working in Fat Liberation.
Media and Research Roundup
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media and Research Roundup. This issue features: pandemic weight gain, an incident when medical researchers disagree, a profile of seven fat black social media influencers and bloggers, and more.
NAAFA Chronicles 66: February 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. This month is the February 1986 issue of the NAAFA Chronicles and discusses the genetics of “obesity”, an adoption study, and more.
Media and Research Roundup
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media and Research Roundup. This issue features: studies around weight loss surgery complications, discussion on the body positivity vs fat liberation, Lizzo’s statement that body positivity is leaving out black and brown folx, new regulations from the FAA and more.
NAAFA Chronicles 65: January 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. This month is the January 1986 issue of the NAAFA Chronicles and discusses the "weighty debate" of if fat is so bad.
Anti-Fatness and Police Violence
The protests of 2020 have made an impact, focusing the world's attention on police violence throughout the U.S., and possibly even reducing police violence in areas with the most active movements. But unfortunately, police are still using violent tactics that result in harm and death throughout the country.
This problem hit home for NAAFA Board Member Amanda Cooper this spring, when local police in her Alameda, CA community responded to a call about a mile from her. A young man, Mario Gonzalez, was sitting in a park on a warm Monday afternoon. Some neighbors called the police non-emergency line and said they were afraid of him, even though they admitted he was not threatening them or doing anything remotely violent. The police came to the scene, attempted to arrest him even though he posed no harm, and he died with his face in the dirt as they held him down.
Media and Research Roundup
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media and Research Roundup. This issue features: studies around weight loss surgery complications, discussion on the body positive movement, NAAFA's FLARE (Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights & Education) Project provides a COVID-19 Vaccine Access , Fat Fact Sheet and more.
Anti-Racism Resources for LGBTQIA+ People of Color
June is Pride Month! While the LGBTQIA+ community and allies celebrate the month with parades and activism events, gay, trans and queer folx deal with biases and discrimination on a daily basis. Compound that with being a person of color and you add a layer of racism to that. This month's anti-racism resources look specifically at that intersection.
NAAFA Chronicles 64: December 1985
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. This month is the December 1985 issue of the NAAFA Chronicles.
Pride and Pronouns Part II: Gender privilege and gender respect in NAAFA Community
The first time I heard the term “cisgender” was at a diversity training for educators in the early 2000s. A well-known speaker used the word in a way that assumed everyone in the room knew what it meant. We should have, but the obvious discomfort in the room showed that many of us didn't. I raised my hand. “You used a word I don't know there,” I said. “What does it mean?”
I don’t remember the exact words the speaker used, but he basically explained that someone cisgender is a person whose gender “matches” their sex. I knew the concept, just not the word. A lot of people are raised with the idea that the words ”gender” and “sex” mean the same thing. I learned it that way, and I have no doubt many of you did, too, whether you are cisgender, transgender and/or nonbinary. But, those words don’t actually mean the same thing. Sex relates to bodies and physiology; gender relates to identity and expression.
Pride and Pronouns Part 1: Introduction to pronouns and gender identity
Pride is an important part of June, and pronouns are an important part of pride. And -- spoiler alert -- using the correct pronouns for people is important all year. Many transgender people and allies in the NAAFA community have experience with this, and we’d love it if you could like, comment on and share this post. For those of you who are newer, here are some pointers.
NAAFA Chronicles 63: Summer 1985 Supplement
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. This month the Spring 1985-Supplement issue of the NAAFA Chronicles Convention Photo Special.
How Can Medical Professionals Prevent Weight Bias in Healthcare
Weight bias in the healthcare industry has many repercussions, from inaccurate diagnoses to body discrimination. But how can medical professionals prevent weight bias in the industry? Here are some tips!
There’s No Vaccine For Fatphobia
In this excerpt from Trevor Kezon's original Medium piece, the writer explores the experience of being fat during the pandemic. Find the full article and other writing by Trevor at trevorkezon.medium.com.
Reflections on Growing Up Fat and Chinese-American
In Chinese culture, women are supposed to be small. Not just in stature, but in how we exist in the world. There is this old school idea that Chinese girls should be quiet, small, slender, take up as little space as possible. There is no being loud, there is no taking up space, there is absolutely no being fat. Well. I’m fat. And I always have been. I grew up culturally Chinese American.
What Fat Liberation Means to Me: Instagrammers Celebrate Fat Liberation Month!
At the beginning of Fat Liberation Month (May), NAAFA invited everyone to post in social media sharing what fat liberation means to them, using the #fatliberationmonth. There have been photos, video, graphics and written captions expressing the thoughts of fat folx all over social media! Here are a few of the responses we have seen so far this month on Instagram. We invite you to share your thoughts on fat liberation on your favorite social media platforms using the hashtag #fatliberationmonth also.
Media and Research Roundup
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media and Research Roundup. This issue features: studies around weight loss surgery complications, discussion on the body positive movement, NAAFA's FLARE (Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights & Education) Project provides a COVID-19 Vaccine Access ,Fat Fact Sheet and more.