Celebrating #SizeFreedom in New York City
Image description: A group of people are standing in front of park benches, with trees behind them. They are holding two banners, one that has the NAAFA logo on it and another that has the Campaign for Size Freedom logo on it.
Photo Credit: Jackie Malloy
By Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Board Chair
On May 26, 2023 New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed bill 209-A into law, making height and weight discrimination illegal in employment, housing, and public accommodation in New York City. The bill had passed the City Council earlier in May with a 44-5 vote, and NYC procedures would have allowed the bill to pass into law after 30 days with no fanfare. The Mayor’s choice to hold a formal signing ceremony in City Hall’s “Blue Room” highlighted the new law for policy makers and the media. The Mayor, who is controversial in many ways and who is the author of a vegan health book in which he promotes intentional weight loss, was asked by a reporter whether detractors might see the bill as supporting ob*sity. He responded he is “a person that believes in health” but that research has shown that body size and health are not necessarily connected. “This is the right thing to do,” he added. (See the full bill signing, including remarks from bill sponsor Council Member Shaun Abreu, Josh Kellerman from the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union, and me in our Video of the Month in this newsletter).
Image Description: NAAFA Advocacy Chair Tegan Lecheler and Board Chair Tigress Osborn pose with NYC City Council Member Shaun Abreu and other allies and advocates after the signing of Bill 0209A to outlaw size discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation.
On June 6th, we gathered NAAFA friends and supporters, including Council Member Abreu, for an afternoon Party in the Park on the 56th anniversary of the New York City Fat-in. Voice of America reporter Aron Ranen captured some of our gathering in his piece of the NYC bill. You can see Aron’s piece here (content warning for the section between 2:16 and 2:37 for an interview with an author who believes “it’s not a helpful message” to protect fat people’s civil rights). Between the high profile signing ceremony and the extensive news coverage, we are encouraged that this first big win of the Campaign for Size Freedom will in fact inspire others, as this terrific Scripps News piece forecasts.
Image Description: NAAFA Chair Tigress Osborn and NAAFA Advocacy Chair Tegan Lecheler at Celebrating Fat Victories with author Aubrey Gordon. From left to right: Dana Polucci (Dove), Abisola Adekoya (Dove), Tigress, Aubrey, Tegan, Suzanne Alizart (Your Fat Friend producer), and Jeanie Finlay (Your Fat Friend director)
Before I headed home from New York City, I joined popular author and podcaster Aubrey Gordon for the Tribeca Film Festival debut of Your Fat Friend, a documentary by Jeanie Finlay about Aubrey’s transition from anonymous blogger to NYT bestselling author. Dove, our support partner for the Campaign for Size Freedom, also sponsored Celebrating Fat Victories, a Sunday afternoon dialogue between Aubrey and I about the film, NYC’s new law, and other developments across the fatosphere. Joined by a lively audience, we talked about everything from the silliness of our “favorite” trolls to the seriousness of funding fat liberation work. Follow Aubrey @yrfatfriend and NAAFA @naaaofficial for info about when and how you can hear the recording of our discussion.
Photo of Tigress Osborn
About the Author
Tigress Osborn (she/her) is NAAFA’s Board Chair. Tigress joined the NAAFA Board of Directors in 2015 and became Director of Community Outreach in 2017. She is the founder of Full Figure Entertainment in Oakland, CA and co-founder, with activist/blogger Nicholet Deschine Parkhurst of Redstreak Girl, of PHX Fat Force in Phoenix, AZ. Her professional background as a youth advocate, diversity educator, and equity and inclusion consultant informs the fat liberation activism she has engaged in since 2008.
