Elegant Plus Magazine

Forwarded from our friends at NAAFA (naafa.org):

We can really use your help on this one. Please forward this message to anyone
you know who lives in MA. We can make this happen. We did it in San Francisco,
let’s do it in MA!!!

We have an exciting opportunity to advance fat civil rights in
Massachusetts! The bill, H.1844, filed by Rep. Byron Rushing, will
add height and weight to the anti-discrimination law. YOU can help
make this happen! And it’s very easy.

First, we’re asking Massachusetts residents to write a letter (snail mail is
better than email) to your representative and senator, asking
them to support MA H.1844. If your legislator is a co-sponsor, thank
him/her for supporting H. 1844. And …. ask everyone you know in
the state to also write to their legislators!

If you have experienced size discrimination in the state in
employment, education, public accommodations or health care, it is
VITAL that you tell your legislators! And please forward your story
to us, too. Another rep filed a similar bill a couple of years ago
on the basis of ONE discrimination complaint from a constituent.

If you’d like to do more, a follow-up phone call or even a personal
visit (make an appointment at the State House or at local office
hours) will emphasize the depth of your support for the bill.

There will be a hearing before the Joint Committee on Labor and
Workforce Development, probably in the fall. If you’re a constituent
of one of the committee members, your voice will have even more
impact. As our campaign builds, we’ll have more opportunities for volunteers.

For more information, please contact *NAAFA Board member Jeanne
Toombs

*National Assoc. to Advance Fat Acceptance, www.naafa.org

LEGISLATORS’ CONTACT INFO
http://www.mass.gov/legis/.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Rep. ________ (or Sen. _________)

I’m writing to ask you to support (or thank you for supporting) H.1844, which
will add height and weight to the anti-discrimination law. People of all sizes
deserve basic respect, and large people in particular are routinely
discriminated against in employment, health care and education.

(I have faced discrimination…. please tell your personal story.)

Thank you,

your name
your address

CO-SPONSORS
Rep. Christine Canavan
Rep. Linda Forry
Rep. Gloria Fox
Rep. Willie Mae Allen
Rep. Matthew Patrick
Rep. Carl Sciortino
Rep. Benjamin Swan
Rep. Timothy Toomey
Rep. Marty Walz
Sen. Susan Fargo

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Rep. David Torrisi, Chair
Sen. Thomas McGee
Sen. Pamela Resor
Sen. Patricia Jehlen
Sen. Edward Augustus
Sen. Steven Tolman
Sen. Robert Hedlund
Rep. John Scibak
Rep. Paul Casey
Rep. Colleen Garry
Rep. Demetrius Atsalis
Rep. Barbara L’Italian
Rep. Sean Curran
Rep. Marty Walz
Rep. Thomas Calther
Rep. Paul Loscocco
Rep. Karyn Polito

Popularity: 4% [?]

Two plus models, Diane Pellini and Liis Windischmann, have started a project addressing the issue of size in the fashion industry. Knowledgeable about the industry and how it works, sensible about their goals, and clear about realistic paths to change this project could be huge.

To find out more, get involved and make difference visit Walk the Catwalk.

It can make the difference in media portrayals, in girls’ and women’s self-esteem and in the availablity of fashion to all sizes.   KUDOS!  Let’s get behind this project now!

Popularity: 5% [?]

What Is Size Activism?
by Elegant Plus Magazine Guest Author, Rhonda Jo Wasson

Raise Your Voice!

Mention the term Size Activism and what comes to mind? A group of overweight people picketing an airline company? Or perhaps angry fat men and women refusing to listen to stereotypes and demand that changes be made to better suit them? Maybe it refers to someone’s height or low weight rather than the plus-sized community? Can someone who is really trying to lose weight or even have had weight loss surgery be a size activist? What does it really mean?

There is so much confusion in our society about what “activism” is, let alone “size activism.” Size Activism happens to be a very controversial issue, even among fellow activists. For example, controversy has risen with the boom of weight loss surgery. Some people within in the size discrimination movement have stated that activists who have had this done have sold out the movement (I was told this very thing by a certain activist group when I first had my Lap Band weight loss surgery in 2003). However, this could not be farther from the truth.

Let’s see if we can straighten out the confusion and get to the heart of the matter. By definition, activism is a doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action, especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue (Miriam Webster dictionary). Size activism is the campaigning of making the cause of equal and fair treatment and rights of the overweight population. It is the breaking down of stereotypes. It is the fight for the right to be heard as any other group of individuals.

One does not have to be overweight in order to be active in the cause.

Just as every race should participate in the fight against discrimination of any racial minority group, people of all sizes and all walks of life should fight for the right of fairness and equality for the overweight. Discrimination of a population on any level is unjust and should be fought against.

How is this being done? Many ways. One example is a group of women friends that I know who range in size from a size 0 to a size 34, who each write letters weekly to retailers and designers regarding the discrimination of the plus-sized community in fashion. Another group writes to government officials making them aware of the situation and the plight of its citizens and asks for reforms. Others have formed companies catering to the overweight community. You need not join an organization dedicated to this cause to become active in this fight.

Popularity: 7% [?]

In the Spotlight
 
   Meet: ReBecca
 Cause: Homelessness

 Hometown: New York City
 Age: 33
 Height: 5′5″
 Dress Size: 18-22

Profession: Corporate Executive Assistant  & Part-time  M.Div and Clinical Pastoral Education Student
 
 Hobbies: Spending time with my husband & friends, visiting museums, reading, watching movies, playing with my cats & any other animal I can find! 

You never know what will happen. During those years I was a museum administrator and then corporate executive assistant, but through my late night talks with the homeless men and women in that shelter  I heard my call to ministry.  One day, after beginning divinity school part-time in the evenings, I even met my future husband in line at registration. So you never know who you will meet and where life’s experiences will take you!  Volunteering to help the homeless of New York is one of the best things I’ve ever done, and it changed the whole course of my life!  I will graduate with my Masters of Divinity in May 2003, and hope to be ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister in the next couple of years. At that time, I plan to focus on hospital chaplaincy full-time and leave the corporate world.

You too can make a difference no matter how little money or time you have. There are so many ways to give back to your community. To begin, think about what you love doing and how that would translate into volunteering. Be honest with yourself about how much time you can devote to the organization and make sure you feel comfortable there.  If it is a cause you feel strongly about — be it volunteering at homeless shelter or helping out with the local Brownie troop  – you can be sure it will make you feel great. And, it might even lead in some surprising directions!

ReBecca’s  Favorite Web Sites

• Idealist.org

• Partnership for the Homeless (NY)
• National Coalition for the Homeless
• Volunteers of America
• Literacy Volunteers for America
• Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
• Volunteer Match
• Volunteer Stories

ReBecca Recommends:

Popularity: 10% [?]