Celebrating Fat Liberation Month ☀✨
Happy Fat Liberation Month!
After writer Clark Beltran wrote an essay for its Community Voices Blog about his desire for a Fat Pride Month, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) launched Fat Liberation Month. Celebrated annually in August, Fat Liberation Month celebrates fat people around the world and throughout history. NAAFA also uses it to bring awareness to social campaigns and legislation aimed at protecting fat people and our rights, and to share fat art and other work that aligns with NAAFA’s values.
If you aren’t fat (or even if you are), Fat Liberation Month may not seem necessary. But unfortunately, anti-fat bias is instilled in us from childhood—and it impacts every part of our lives. As Housemates author Emma Copley Eisenberg wrote on her Substack last year, “If you’re not a fat person you should care because: 1) Body size fluctuates over your life; if you are thin now, you might be fat later. 2) Hopefully you don’t want to be an asshole; you care about all human beings being represented in works of art with nuance and dignity. And 3) Fatness is racialized, gendered, queered, and classed”—and even in the literary world, anti-fatness is so normalized that most readers barely notice it.
These are just some of the effects of diet culture, which runs rampant in the U.S. despite ample evidence that diets don’t work. For the last 55 years, research has shown that 95 to 98 percent of intentional weight-loss attempts fail, and most dieters gain back more weight than they lost. This leads most people to “yo-yo,” or go on and off diets for years, to the detriment of their mental and physical health.
Medically-induced weight loss doesn’t have much better results. And yet for the last year+, semaglutides Ozemic and Wegovy have been the hot topic in Hollywood and beyond, with diabetes patients who were prescribed these medications being forced to switch because the demand became so high from non-diabetic patients seeking quick weight loss The long-term effects of these drugs aren’t fully understood yet, but I see ads all the time for class-action lawsuits against the manufacturers from patients who have developed dangerous conditions, like gastroparesis, from taking them. Based on similar weight-loss drug fads of the past, I suspect we’ll be seeing the fallout of the Ozempic/Wegovy/Mounjaro trend for some time.
As doctors prescribe these drugs left and right (because unfortunately, the majority of medical providers in the U.S. are incredibly anti-fat), the fact remains that fat isn’t an indicator of health. Even if it was, health is not a requirement for basic human rights or decency. But the rhetoric around fatness frames it as a moral failing and a problem to be solved, of which it’s neither.
Fat liberation activists are currently facing an uptick in anti-fat hate at every level. However, we remain steadfast in our dedication to remaining visible, to educating as often as possible, to fighting for fat rights and protections at the legal level, and to sharing and providing resources for advocating for ourselves and others in the face of medical gaslighting, abuse, and/or negligence; social abuse and anti-fat hate (including intimate partner violence and familial abuse); online safety; and more.
This work certainly becomes more visible during Fat Liberation Month, but it always happens. And even as we see former allies turn away from our movement to pursue intentional weight loss and preach about its alleged benefits, we still find ways to celebrate our fatness, uplift each other, and highlight the incredible work that fat people are doing in every field.
This month spotlights fat struggles, but it also—perhaps more importantly—shares fat joys. I encourage you to follow fat artists, writers, publishers, makers, models, small business owners, and more this month if you don’t already. If you do, follow more! Read books about fatness (like the ones I recommended on our Instagram last year, or in this article for The Mary Sue). Listen to the Maintenance Phase podcast wherever you cast your pods. Go to a NAAFA webinar or attend a talk from a local author. Watch (or re-watch) the Nonbinarian Tandem Talk with Emma Copley Eisenberg about writing a fat protagonist in Housemates and the lack of complex, fat, fictional characters on our shelves.
There are so many ways to support fat people in our collective struggle for liberation and as fully realized human beings who do not exist for amusement, cruelty, or false examples of what “unhealthy” looks like. These are just a few.
For more information about NAAFA’s Fat Liberation Month 2024 programming, visit naafa.org/flm2024.
— Samantha Puc, Newsletter Editor & Book Club Coordinator
Have you tuned into a Nonbinarian Tandem Talk? We have three (3) scheduled in August alone! Hosted on Instagram Live, Tandem Talks are conversations between members of the Nonbinarian Book Bike community and publishing professionals, including authors and bookstore owners. Although each talk is live, you can always watch later, as we post the reels on our grid for accessibility.
Check out past Tandem Talks with Alejandro Varela, Myriam Gurba, Rosiee Thor, Emma Copley Eisenberg, Hannah Oliver Depp, and Christine Bollow. This month, tune in for Tandem Talks with Casey McQuiston, Michael Waters, and more!
If you don’t already follow us on Instagram and you use the platform, we’d love to see you! In addition to Tandem Talks, Book Club news, event reflections, and more, you’ll also get access to fun stuff like “QT Books as Chappell Roan Songs,” which you can see here, shop here, and listen to on Spotify here!
It’s hot out there! We have a mix of virtual and in-person programming scheduled for August, the latter of which is contingent upon weather and volunteer safety during the heat wave. Please keep an eye on our Instagram for changes to this month’s calendar!
Here's where we'll be (so far) during Fat Liberation Month, weather permitting (all times EST; 💻 = virtual, 🚲 = in-person).
💻 Tandem Talk with Casey McQuiston: Friday, August 2 at 12 p.m., Instagram Live
🚲 Parkside Pop-Up: Saturday, August 3 from 10 a.m.—12 p.m., Prospect Lefferts Gardens
💻 Tandem Talk with Michael Waters: Thursday, August 8 at 12 p.m., Instagram Live
🚲 Riis Reads: Saturday, August 10, starting at ~11 a.m.
🚲 Maria Hernandez Park Pop-Up & Partner Event with The Tea Stand: Sunday, August 11 from 11 a.m.—1 p.m., Bushwick
🚲 Black & Latine Author Read-A-Thon: Saturday, August 17 from 11 a.m.—2 p.m., La Plaza Cultural E. 9th St. & Ave C. NYC (Tabling event; the Bike itself will not be present)
🚲 The Nonbinarian Book Drive: Saturday, August 24 from 10 a.m.—4 p.m., Herbert von King Park, Bed-Stuy
🚲 Brower Park Pop-Up: Sunday, August 25 from 10 a.m.—12 p.m., Crown Heights
💻 The Nonbinarian Book Club: Friday, August 30 at 8 p.m., Zoom
For our upcoming Book Drive, please note that we accept queer books only, in new, like new, or good condition. We are especially seeking:
genre fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, romance, & horror)
nonfiction (history, sexual & reproductive health, psychology, & educational resources & guides)
poetry
graphic novels
children’s books (ages 0-12)
titles across all ages & genres by BIPOC authors & in languages other than English
We welcome self-published works and zines, as well as select anti-capitalist, abolitionist, and/or radical texts that are not necessarily queer. We are not seeking YA, business, religion, or “popular health & wellness” (read: anti-fat/diet culture, ableist culture) titles.
If you’re unsure if a book you’d like to donate fits the bill, DM @nonbinarianbike on IG or email info@thenonbinarian.gay!
Also in August, our founder, K, will attend New Voices New Rooms 2024, the regional conference for New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance representing the Book Bike and leading the “Frontline Booksellers Retreat” about changes they want to see in the industry! We’ll share highlights in next month’s newsletter, so stay tuned!
Our pick for this month’s Book Club is The Pairing by Casey McQuiston! This chaotic bisexual romance is all about food, wine, and sex, in varying orders throughout the story.
Don’t miss Book Club Coordinator Samantha Puc’s Nonbinarian Tandem Talk with McQuiston on Friday, August 2 at 12 p.m. ET on Instagram Live, then grab a copy of the book when it comes out on Tuesday, August 6 and join us for book club at the end of the month!
The Nonbinarian Book Club is partnered with Bluestockings Cooperative. You can purchase this month's Nonbinarian Book Club book at Bluestockings to support their mission and ours! Click here to order online and use code BOOKBIKE for 15% off at checkout.
The Nonbinarian Book Bike is partnered with the following independent bookstores! Books purchased from our wishlists will be donated directly to the bike for free distribution.
The Nonbinarian Book Bike is also proud to partner with the following organizations for our community reading events! Please check out their mission statements and support them however possible.
🌠 Reading 4 Black Lives Project
Finally, The Nonbinarian Book Bike is partnered with Trans formative Schools, "a progressive education community centering trans joy and social justice." The organization aims to uplift trans children and educators, as well as families "touched by transness," through the implementation of a free afterschool program for ages 9-15. Trans formative Schools' dream is to create a liberal middle school that employs rigorous academics, identity exploration, and more.
All books purchased from this Bookshop wishlist will go directly to Trans formative Schools. The Nonbinarian Book Bike receives a portion of each purchase, which helps us pay for storage, bike maintenance and upkeep, and more. By purchasing from this list, you directly support two trans-led organizations and support indie bookstores through Bookshop.org.
If you'd like to partner with us for an event or sponsorship, please reach out via e-mail! In addition to subscribing to our newsletter, following us on social media, and participating in events, you can also support the Book Bike in the following ways:
📚 Donate a book (or books) to the Book Bike!
📚 Donate funds to help upkeep costs like storage and bike maintenance! You can make a one-time donation or set up a monthly one on Ko-Fi, or you can donate via Venmo.
📚 Buy a book from our wishlist!
📚 Buy a book through our Bookshop storefront!
📚 Support us with a Libro.fm subscription!
📚 Buy Nonbinarian merch!
To get involved in our virtual or physical programming, please DM @nonbinarianbike on IG or email info@thenonbinarian.gay!
Thank you to the Nonbinarian community for always showing up and showing out! It has been a joy to meet you at pop-ups, interact with you on social media, and get to know the Brooklyn community and its various neighborhoods.
On July 15, we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of our first pop-up! Check out the highlights courtesy of our volunteer coordinator, Alyssa. 💖
Want to contribute to the Nonbinarian Newsletter?
If you want to submit something to the newsletter, including events, mutual aid needs, book recs, or ideas you'd like to see us include, please email us at newsletter@thenonbinarian.gay.
Thank you for supporting the Nonbinarian Book Bike! Look for our next newsletter on the 1st of the month. In the meantime, follow us on social media for daily updates.