Watch: 5 Decades & Counting: Thoughts on the Past, Present & Future of Fat Acceptance with Bill Fabrey

NAAFA Founder Bill Fabrey and NAAFA Community Outreach Director Tigress Osborn engaged in a lively dialogue about how the fat acceptance movement has changed since the organization was founded in 1969. Bill discussed NAAFA history including landmark events, the organization's role in shaping the fat liberation movement overall, how intersectionality did and did not factor into NAAFA's priorities, and what he's learned from fat community about being a good activist and a good human.

In 1969, Bill Fabrey came up with the concept of a national organization to serve as an advocacy group for fat people. He drafted bylaws, rounded up some individuals to serve as the first Board of Directors, and the National Association to Aid Fat Americans (NAAFA) was born. Bill has been a member of NAAFA (now known as the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) for 51 years. He participated actively in NAAFA leadership until the early ‘90s.

In 1991, Bill became co-founder of the Council on Size & Weight Discrimination (CSWD). He now serves as the Council’s President. Bill has also served on the membership committee of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) since 2008.

At age 79, Bill is “retired,” but working harder than ever—running a small business, supporting Black Lives Matter and indigenous rights, and continuing to work toward ending bullying and fat stigmatization. Learn more about the organizations Bill has worked with at naafa.org, cswd.org, and asdah.org.

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