Shana tova 5776!!!

Shana tova 5776!!!  May this be your best year yet.

Our Rosh Hashanah became super old school when we met this baby Eastern Kingsnake (?) during our family's Tashlich at Lake Needwood.  Zie was less than a foot long and half an inch wide, and we found them just a few inches from the shore of our private beach! Resting on the bottom and/or floating just above it, with just hir head above water, like a turtle or frog, flicking hir tongue in and out sometimes. As we followed, zie swam back and forth along the shore, not seeming to notice us, the minnows or Canada geese, but eventually sometimes partly hiding under rocks.

2nd annual FAT ACTIVISM CONFERENCE #FatActCon

THE FAT ACTIVISM CONFERENCE (RE)LAUNCHED AT 12M PST / 3AM EST! Registration is open!!! The 2nd annual #FatActCon is Friday October 9th through Sunday October 11th and is virtual – you can listen live or later on your phone or computer; there will also be some pre-submitted and / or live Q&A.

And I’m going to be on a panel about faith! And if you register through this link -- or through the ads here on my blog or on Julia’s Tumblr --  http://affiliate.realbigpublishing.com/registration-fat-activism-conference/?ap_id=Mycroft -- I get 20%.

Generally it’s best to support fat fat-activists before thin ones like myself. And I will also be paid something for speaking, through profit sharing. At the same time, when you support me, you support my flabulous underemployed family – my fat fat-activist partner, our retired mother-in-sin / mother, and our dogter / grandogter Ursula...who is too spoiled to work.
‪
#‎FatActCon‬  ‪#‎fatactivism‬  ‪#‎fatjustice‬

Rainbow Connections

Look what two of our friends found for us at the University Park MD town yard sale in May! A JanSport Trans backpack in rainbow tie-dye and purple (and the colors are even better in person). I know!!

And they gave it to us today, the day it was announced that a colleague became the first trans staffer at the White House (and a colleague I'd worked with back in MA, especially through the MA Trans Political Coalition and the Jewish community).

I actually remember when JanSport came out with the Trans line – especially because some of my queer colleagues were among the early adopters – and I’ve always wanted one.

DMV Fat-Friendly Community Clothing Swap

The photo used for the Facebook event.

Alas, we missed the DMV Fat-Friendly Community’s latest clothing swap today, at a Community member’s home (thanks!). But the people who went sound really pleased, yay.

And as always, if you desire fat-friendly community in the DMV (DC / MD / VA), come on down. Or up, or over, or whatever, depending upon where you live. We have more plans being planned, and are open to questions, suggestions and more -- but it's also more than okay if you need to just "lurk" and/or be online-only. My Julia founded the DMV FFC a few years ago, and we have almost 90 members in the Facebook Group now! And we do have a good amount who actively participate online and off – but the more the merrier.

A waist is a terrible thing to mind

Waist not, want not.

"A waist is a terrible thing to mind."

My flabulous little find at Goodwill of Greater Washington (Gaithersburg) today. Plastic keychain, about 1” x 2”, same design both sides -- and it never wears off, because it's actually a little sign sandwiched in clear plastic. And at twenty-nine cents, it may well be my thriftiest thrift yet.

Though it is based on the United Negro College Fund's "a mind is a terrible thing to waste".

‪#‎fathrifting‬ ‪ #‎sharetheGood‬ ‪ #‎myGoodwillfind‬  #waistnotwantnot

MA HEIGHT/WEIGHT ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL HEARING TOMORROW TUESDAY 7/21!

REMINDER:  MASSACHUSETTS' HEIGHT/WEIGHT ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL'S HEARING IS TOMORROW TUESDAY JULY 21ST AT 12:30 P.M. AT THE STATE HOUSE!  Click here for more details about the bill and hearing.  My testimony is here and will be there, and yours is needed.

July 21, 2015

Senator Daniel A. Wolf
Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
State House, Room 405
Boston, MA 02133

Representative John W. Scibak
House Chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development
State House, Room 43
Boston, MA 02133

Via email:  Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov | John.Scibak@mahouse.gov

Dear Senator Wolf and Representative Scibak --

My name is Mycroft Masada Holmes, and I lived in greater Boston for more than 37 years, from my birth until last January, when I moved to Maryland to begin living with my partner.  I love Boston and the rest of Massachusetts; our great city and state have always truly been my home and I hope they always will be.

I write to you today primarily as a faith leader – my roles include being a Community Engagement Adviser at TransFaith and a member of TransEpiscopal.  Before my move, I was the Chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition’s Interfaith Coalition for Transgender Equality, and a board member of Congregation Am Tikva.  I’ve been one of the leaders of the faith campaign for Massachusetts’ Trans Equal Rights Law, passed in November 2011, and its bill An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-Discrimination, currently in progress.

Today, I testify in support of House Bill 1764 -- An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful, as I have done in person and/or in writing for the last few legislative sessions.  At one hearing, I also read the written testimony of attorney Sondra Solovay.

Section 4 of Chapter 151B and Sections 92A and 98 of Chapter 272 of the Massachusetts General Laws currently state that persons cannot be discriminated against in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or ancestry.  HB 1764 would amend these statutes to include height and weight to the list of unlawful forms of discrimination, providing a legal remedy to those who have experienced discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on their weight or height.  As you know, this bill was approved by the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development last session but did not come up for a vote before the House of Representatives and had to be re-filed for the current session.

In my personal and professional life, I have experienced and witnessed and a great deal of discrimination – especially in employment.  Much of it has been based on physical appearance and information, including height and weight.  This discrimination is wrong, profoundly damaging, and occurs many times every day in every part of our state.  It must be ended as soon as possible, and HB 1764 will help to end it.  The bill is also an critical educational tool – its implementation process will help dispel the widespread and every-growing ignorance, misinformation and phobia about height and weight.  You will be given expert testimony about these issues today and during the rest of this session – ample evidence of the significant and urgent need for this legislation.

My faiths teach that like Adam, the first human being, all people are made b’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God -- people of all sizes, shapes, weights and heights.  Our infinite diversity of bodies and their changes over our lifetimes are gifts and blessings -- meant to be lived and shared with happiness and pride.  God creates and loves all of us, equally, in body and spirit.  And all of us should be equally recognized and protected by the law.

And as much as I speak to you as a person of faith, I also speak as a life partner.  My wonderful partner of six years, Julia McCrossin, and I are the same height, and she weighs well over twice what I do; I’ve always been thin, she has always been fat.  Julia is a native and lifelong resident of Maryland and Washington DC, and visited me in Massachusetts several times.  After her father passed away, I moved to Maryland to begin living with her, largely so that we could help care for her disabled mother and the family dog.

We are privileged to live in Maryland and near DC; both have trans-inclusive civil rights, and DC’s Human Rights Laws includes height and weight in “physical appearance”.  We are unusually privileged in other ways as well – as much as we and those like us struggle, daily life is far more challenging for those who have other intersecting oppressions, such as racism, classism and ableism.  At the same time, we worry about moving to and through places where we are legally unprotected, which we often need and want to do.  We and so many others need An Act Making Discrimination On The Basis Of Height And Weight Unlawful to pass into law as soon as possible.

We want to visit Massachusetts, have our wedding there, make our home there someday.  And we have much to offer my great state.  I want my partner to have full civil rights wherever she is.  I want her to be able to continue to live, work and play better than she has done, contributing even more to her society than she has.  I want this for all residents of and visitors to Massachusetts.  I don’t want anyone to experience discrimination – and yet I know that some will, and I want them to be able to take appropriate action.

I urge you to do everything you can to further this vital and long overdue legislation so that it can be passed into law this legislative session.

Thank you,

Mycroft Holmes
{my home and e-mail addresses}

Cc: Dave VanderWoude
Office of Majority Whip Byron Rushing
State House, Room 235
Boston, MA  02133
Via email: david.vanderwoude@mahouse.gov

MA HEIGHT/WEIGHT ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL HEARING NEXT TUES. 7/21!

HEARING ON MASSACHUSETTS HEIGHT/WEIGHT ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL NEXT TUESDAY JULY 21ST AT 12:30 P.M. AT THE STATE HOUSE! PLEASE NOTE THAT EVERYONE CAN SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY -- I will be doing so, as I've done for the past few sessions; I've also testified in person twice. Just got this e-mail; will put more info on my blog and post that:

Hi All,

As past supporters of Representative Rushing’s legislation regarding height and weight discrimination, I am writing to let you know that the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development has scheduled a hearing for the bill (H. 1764,An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful) on Tuesday, July 21, which begins at  12:30 p.m. in Gardner Auditorium in the State House.  I apologize for the short notice; I just found out about the hearing.

This bill would amend the state’s anti-discrimination laws to add height and weight to the list of protected categories, which currently include race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or ancestry.  It would provide a legal remedy to those who have experienced discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on their weight or height. 

As you may remember, this bill was approved by the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development last session but did not come up for a vote before the House of Representatives and had to be re-filed for the current legislative session, which began in January 2015.  Also, please note that the House has a new Chair of the Committee this session who is likely unfamiliar with the issue.

As you may know, many legislative committees limit spoken testimony to approximately 3 minutes per person.  However, you can submit both written and verbal testimony, and are encouraged to do so, if you are worried about conveying your full message within the three-minute timeframe.  If you would like to submit testimony but are unable to be in attendance, you can submit testimony via email to Daniel.Wolf@masenate.gov orJohn.Scibak@mahouse.gov, or via the mail to the following addresses:

Senator Daniel A. Wolf

Senate Chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

State House, Room 405

Boston, MA 02133

Representative John W. Scibak

House Chair, Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

State House, Room 43

Boston, MA 02133

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Best,

Dave

Dave VanderWoude

Office of Majority Whip Byron Rushing

State House, Room 235

Boston, MA 02133

(617) 722-2783

david.vanderwoude@mahouse.gov

Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2015 4:07 PM
To: HOU-DL - HOUSE STAFF; HOU-DL - HOUSE AIDES; HOU-DL - HOUSE REPS; SEN-DL-ALLSTAFF; SEN-DL-SENATORS
Subject: Notice of Public Hearing (With Changes): Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development hearing on Workplace Discrimination and Workplace Safety -7/21 in Gardner Auditorium from 12:30-5

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts JOINT COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133

Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development

Rep. John W. Scibak	Sen. Daniel A. Wolf
House Chairman	Senate Chairman

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Date of Hearing: Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Time: 12:30 PM-5:00 PM

Location: GARDNER AUDITORIUM

Workplace Discrimination and Workplace Safety

Bill No.	Sponsor	Title
H1682	Benson, Jennifer E. (HOU)	An Act relative to discrimination in the workplace
H1687	Brady, Michael D. (HOU)	An Act requiring health care employees to develop and implement programs to prevent workplace violence
H1689	Calter, Thomas J. (HOU)	An Act relative to needle stick injuries suffered by first responders
H1728	Kocot, Peter V. (HOU)	An Act prohibiting the bullying of public school employees
H1733	Livingstone, Jay D. (HOU)	An Act to establish pay equity
H1736	Malia, Elizabeth A. (HOU)	An Act regulating the use of credit reports by employers
H1756	O'Day, James J. (HOU)	An Act to further define standards of employee safety
H1757	Orrall, Keiko M. (HOU)	An Act relative to non discrimination training in the workplace
H1764	Rushing, Byron (HOU)	An Act making discrimination on the basis of height and weight unlawful
H1769	Story, Ellen (HOU)	An Act establishing the Massachusetts pregnant workers fairness act
H1771	Story, Ellen (HOU)	An Act addressing workplace bullying, mobbing, and harassment, without regard to protected class status
H1781	Zlotnik, Jonathan (HOU)	An Act Relative to Non Discrimination Training in the Workplace
H1783	Zlotnik, Jonathan (HOU)	An Act Relative to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
S123	Barrett, Michael J. (SEN)	An Act regulating the use of credit reports by employers
S954	Barrett, Michael J. (SEN)	An Act providing fair chances for employment
S956	Brownsberger, William N. (SEN)	An Act establishing the refusal to provide certain records as an unfair labor practice
S960	Chang-Diaz, Sonia (SEN)	An Act ensuring uniformity in education discrimination complaint procedures
S970	Donnelly, Kenneth J. (SEN)	An Act requiring recordkeeping at public construction worksites in order to protect first responders
S983	Jehlen, Patricia D. (SEN)	An Act to establish pay equity
S984	Joyce, Brian A. (SEN)	An Act preventing discrimination based on veteran's status
S986	Joyce, Brian A. (SEN)	An Act relative to health and safety on public construction projects
S988	Keenan, John F. (SEN)	An Act relative to electrical panels and workplace safety
S989	L'Italien, Barbara (SEN)	An Act relative to nondiscrimination regional advisory boards
S991	Montigny, Mark C. (SEN)	An Act relative to fair hiring practices
S999	Pacheco, Marc R. (SEN)	An Act to further define standards of employee safety
S1007	Spilka, Karen E. (SEN)	Resolutions to encourage equitable and diverse gender representation on the boards of companies in the Commonwealth
S1020	Timilty, James E. (SEN)	An Act relative to equity in the workplace

Please be advised that the schedule and agenda are subject to change at the discretion of the chair per committee rules. Due to the expected number of attendants, testimony will be strictly limited to 3 minutes. Panels will be limited to a size of four individuals or fewer, and each panel will be ask to keep their testimony limited to ten minutes.

DMV Fat-Friendly Community field trip to Curve Appeal

Sadly, we missed the DMV Fat-Friendly Community field trip today to Curve Appeal Full Figured Consignment Boutique (Millersville MD), and lunch – and thus we missed Curve Appeal altogether, because that was actually their last day in business, alas. But we are hearing good things, about them and the trip.

And it reminded me to tell / remind you that if you’re looking for fat-friendly community in the DMV (DC / MD / VA), come on down. Or up, or over, or whatever, depending upon where you live, ha ha. We have a clothing swap scheduled for next month, and some other things being planned, and are always open to suggestions, members, etc. My Julia founded it just a few years ago, and we have almost 90 members in the Facebook Group now! And we do have a good amount who actively participate online and off – but again, the more the merrier.

Ramadan 2015

Tonight we went to one of the American Turkish Friendship Association (ATFA)’s Iftar dinners for the second year in a row; last year we were invited by Episcopal Church of the Ascension and went to one at ATFA’s Rockville space, this time Ascension hosted one and we went to that.

A few of our ATFA hosts spoke, as well as our rector Rev. Randy Lord-Wilkinson, Rev. Mansfield “Kasey” Kaseman, and one of U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski’s staffers – the senator couldn’t attend, but sent quite a letter. Randy is also the convener of the Gaithersburg Interfaith Alliance, and Rev. Kaseman is the Interfaith Community Liaison of the Office of Community Partnerships. And we had a pretty large and diverse group of guests, from Ascension and elsewhere.

We watched Terry Spencer Hesser’s documentary Love Is A Verb, about Turkish Muslim leader Fethullah Gülen and the Gulen movement / Hizmet / Cemaat; narrated by Ashley Judd. And then The Islamic Institute’s “The Journey Of Fasting”, an 8-minute film about Ramadan.

Pictured:
+ One of Ascension’s signs – I especially like the font choice, which I would have made too
+ Apricot nectar and water
+ Soup with chicken, rice, spices…?
+ Rice; ground meat / potato / eggplant / tomato / ?; bread; salad; falafelish thingies?
+ ? with pine nuts; cookies topped with walnuts; cookies topped with with cinnamon / powdered sugar; rice custard squares topped with cinnamon

I didn’t get a picture of my outfit, oops, but I did a post about it anyway.

P.s. If you use the hashtags ‪#‎Ramadan‬, ‪#‎Iftar‬, ‪#‎EidMubarak‬ and/or ‪#‎Eid‬ on Twitter, it automatically adds an icon to each, also known as a hashflag.
‪#‎RamadanMubarak‬ ‪#‎RamadanKareem‬

P.p.s.

Back And Fourth Of July

Tomorrow is my 6th anniversary with Julia, and I have to give GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) credit for making an e-card that also works for that. They have three others, too – they don’t really do it for me, but they have their points, and you can see and send them here.

Much more importantly, Byron Rushing reminds us that and why the the Episcopal Church's Collect for July 4th isn’t right – primarily, it forgets slavery – and gives us two better options.

Byron is the Vice President of the Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies, and a MA state Representative. I first met him when I was a high schooler in the early 90s and he was advocating for the Gay & Lesbian Student Rights Law (yes, it’s been updated since!). He has continued to be an amazing LGBT ally, including with the Trans Equal Rights Law and current trans rights bill – see more at Freedom Massachusetts. And he has been advocating for the bill to include height and weight in MA’s anti-discrimination law for years as well!  #fatjustice

I saw it this via his Facebook post.

"My annual 4th of July collect e-mail:

Let me take this opportunity to remind Episcopalians in the United States that many of us do not consider the words--"the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us"--in the Independence Day collect
to be accurate. Look around your congregations and reflect if all the ancestors of the "us" got their liberty then.

Listen to the words of Collect (BCP, p.242) for Independence Day July 4th

Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This phrase is only possible because slavery was forgotten—or the “us” was not meant to include me.
A better and approved BCP collect for the 4th is "For the Nation" (p.258 or 207):

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Also the Canadians’ Canada Day collect (July 1) also works for us in the USA and all the other countries in which TEC is.

Almighty God,
whose wisdom and whose love are over all,
accept the prayers we offer for our nation.
Give integrity to its citizens and wisdom to those in authority,
that harmony and justice may be secured in obedience to your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

--Byron"

I Do...And I Don't

(...Or, I Do(n't); "if you want to do it the academic way", as J says.)

Julia McCrossin and I at the end of our first in-person visit – September 15th, 2009; our 6th anniversary is July 5th.

Long story short, for now….

Not a fan of legal marriage, or much of the “marriage equality” movement, and their roles in oppression, in this country and the rest of the world. But that’s the thing – legal marriage is a necessary evil for many, including us -- especially as we live and are the primary caregivers with my mother-in-sin -- and probably will be for years, and I’m glad that we can now legally marry in all the States instead of just our home ones (MA and MD).

Big fan of faith-based and other non-legal / other-legal marriage/partnership rituals, including those involving more than two consenting adults.

I’ve always wanted to have an engagement, wedding and marriage, and Julia is my Bashert in that way as well. We don't fully qualify for marriage in either of my faiths -- Judaism or the Episcopal Church – and that may not change in time, but we plan to have some sort of Trewscopalian and otherwise interfaith wedding anyway. And then again, queer/trans/fatphobic discrimination in employment needs to change enough for us to afford even the thriftiest wedding.

Thanks to the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts’s “E-News for June 2015”, I saw and found very helpful this interview with Rev. Cameron Partridge about his membership in The Episcopal Church’s Task Force on the Study of Marriage -- "Why the church cares so much about marriage: A General Convention interview with Cameron Partridge".

Cameron is also a fellow member of TransEpiscopal, and part of TE's team at the Episcopal Church's 78th General Convention. And he’s one of the faith leaders we want to be part of our wedding ceremony.

My favorite answer:

“I would love for more people to think about marriage as a vocation, one among several--not the only relational vocation there is, by any stretch, but one to be discerned carefully, and when discerned as your vocation, to be lived into joyfully.

As I’ve interacted with some of the provincial meetings, I’ve had some questions bubble up around the role of procreation and marriage. There are lots of really interesting angles on that. I really emphasize the rubric of adoption. That is the mechanism of our baptismal incorporation into Christ’s body. It’s adoption--choosing God and being chosen by God and choosing one another--through which we create family as Christians. When you look at family, and you look at marriage, and you look at having children through that lens, it’s all adoptive. And if it happens to be biological as well, wonderful, fabulous—and it’s adoptive. We have to choose one another again and again and again over the course of our lifetime. I notice that has come out in some of the questions where people have wondered if somehow marriage equality would undermine a place for procreation in our understanding of marriage, and my answer is, not at all. In fact, it really underscores the adoptive mechanism through which we choose one another, whether we discern a call to have children or not.”

And thanks to TransEpiscopal, I also saw and deeply appreciated Iain Stanford’s “A Crack in Our Current Practice: A ‪‎Trans‬ Angle on ‪‎Marriage Equality‬ in The ‪Episcopal‬ Church."

Iain too is a fellow member and leader of TE and part of our team at #GC78‬.

My favorite part:

“The shift here is not a theological one. It is not about Augustine’s theology of the goods of marriage or even Elizabeth Stuarts’ theology of gay and lesbian relationships as “just friends.” The shift is my physical body. My negotiation of gender has shifted from the outward and visible sign of a woman to that of a man, more specifically a trans man. My own sense of gender exceeds binary definition. I own my full gender history. My story, while common in trans communities, is not as well known outside of those circles. I am proud of the ways I participated in breaking down barriers for women in the 1980s, even if only in small ways. I was one of the few women who studied engineering in those years, and the first to be elected president of my university’s engineering honorary. Today, I live and move mostly as just another short white guy. To know me is to understand that I am the sum of all my years.”

Ample awesome news from Adipositivity!

Look at all this awesome 8th-anniversary (?!) news from Adipositivity! And Julia's and my photo is this gallery, just saying: "The #1 most often viewed gallery at Zenfolio (the photography web host I use) is the Adipositivity Valentine gallery, with over a million visitors in the last year."

"The Adipositivity Project turns eight years old this week! If you’d like a long-ass update on the past year and the pending, read on.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE HALF PRICE

We passed the 10 million visitors mark this past year.

The #1 most often viewed gallery at Zenfolio (the photography web host I use) is the Adipositivity Valentine gallery, with over a million visitors in the last year. Several other Adipositivity galleries are in the top 20.

The Body Image video channel I curate for Waywire.com is now their most viewed.

The project has gotten a lot more international press this year than it ever has before. (“You’re famous in Brazil!”) And some awfully lovely coverage in the US, as well.

I’ve had some very gratifying experiences speaking at colleges this past year. I dig you! Hope you dig me back.

The project has come closer than ever to paying for itself. Gonna continue to work on that in year nine. If we can surpass that goal, there’ll be more stability, more shoots, and better locations. Biggerbetterfastermore everything!

ALL OF THE ABOVE IS THANKS TO YOU. Thus the curtsy. And as always, thank you to the Adiposers who’ve dropped trou for my camera. I’m not sure which of us is the wind and which is/are the wings, but you’re the bee’s knees. Of that, I am certain.

Next week there’ll be a nude public bodypainting Adipositivity group shoot with artist Andy Golub at the New York Public Library. It’s the Adipositivity Project’s first collaboration with NYC Bodypainting Day, and I’m pretty damn stoked about it. Come by on your lunch break and watch fat art happen while you eat your tunafish sandwich. (Between the lions, Friday 6/26 11-4, rain date Saturday.) Wanna get naked and painted right between your Patience and Fortitude? Hit me up for the deets. There’s one Adiposer slot left.
I’ve been shooting fat folks (mostly clothed this time) for a grrrrreat new tumblr which you’ll see in the next month(ish), to which y’all’re invited to contribute. Long as you’re fat and at least occasionally angry. Stay tuned.

I’m jolly well committed to getting the Adipositivity photo book out by the end of the year. Yes, I know I’ve said that before. But this time I mean it. Serious. Why are you laughing?

Watch for “Adipositivity Across America” (though I hope to come up with a better name) sometime in 2016 or ‘17. I’m taking this bitch on the road, hoping to get my camera on as many of you as possible. It’s the reason I’ve never done a Kickstarter campaign. Savin’ it for a trip that’ll allow me to photograph some of the folks who write to me wanting to be Adiposers, but aren’t able to get to NYC. If this works, there will be subsequent trips to other parts of this big ol’ goofy world.

On a more sad trombone note, the Anti-Adipositivity League has infiltrated the “I wanna be an Adiposer” process, succeeding in wasting a lot of my time and money, and increasing the risk level of what I do (meeting up with strangers in private places). So watch for a tighter application process in the future. Participation will remain open for everyone who’s fat and can get to me in NYC, but you’ll now be required to provide proof of identity, and if you stand me up or send me to a false address, there won’t be a second chance. Sorry, but this is the only way to make the project manageable and safe(ish) for me.
So there ya have it. The state of the project address. I’d hug you, at this point, if I were there in person. Just g’head and consider yourself hugged.

Wanna help The Adipositivity Project stay alive? There’s a carefully hidden donate link at adipositivity.com. So satisfying to successfully hunt it down! Or buy prints, why don’t ya? Here’s an anniversary half-off code, so’s ya can snag twice as many. And Santa makes a note of those who share it. Santa don’t play.
PRINTS: http://theadipositivityproject.zenfolio.com/prints"

Philadelphia Transgender Health Conference 2015

This week-end -- this Thursday through today, Saturday -- I went to the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, which I mean to do every year, but had only done in 2012.  I actually arrived on Wednesday so that I could attend and facilitate at TransFaith’s 6th annual Pre-Event for PTHC – I’m a Community Engagement Adviser at TransFaith, and this year’s Event was particularly amazing because it included our first public conversation about fatphobia.

There were some workshops that I wanted to go to, but not as many as I would expect.  And what with everything, I actually ended up going to only one.  “Gender, Self & Spiritual Community: How Personal and Religious Narratives Can Intersect” had been through some miscommunication, and potential co-facilitator Teo Drake couldn’t be at PTHC at all – but dozens of people showed up in the Spirituality Room ready for it, so it’s good that the other facilitator Bobbi Taylor was available.  I think I could and possibly should have co-facilitated with her, but she was more than capable of doing it alone, and did so well – and she invited me to do a little shpiel about TransFaith etc. at the end.

The workshop was described thus:  “How does our gender and/or sexuality impact our experience of spirituality and spiritual community? How does a spiritual community that is truly inclusive of us express itself? This workshop will be a facilitated conversation led by people from a wide diversity of spiritual beliefs and religious traditions. Participants will get to hear how gender/sexuality impact faith, and vice versa, for all kinds of people. Break-out groups by particular traditions may be utilized, plus cross-tradition/path conversations. Explore in a multi-faith space the meaning in our different experiences of spirituality, faith, and religion as trans people and larger trans community.”

And Bobbi's bio was “Bobbi Taylor is genderqueer and has formal training in Zen Buddhism, evangelical Christianity, and British Traditional Wicca. The intersection of gender diversity and interfaith work is a subject near and dear to Bobbi's heart. Bobbi serves as Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and is an LGBT representative on the MA State Commission for Homeless Youth, among other roles and responsibilities. Part of Bobbi's work has been to help LGBT individuals reconnect with their spirituality and to make religious groups more inclusive and affirming.”

Friday night I went to the Shabbat dinner and service.  I helped organize it in 2012, as part of co-chairing the Con’s Jewish committee that year, which was the first time dinner was added to the event, and it’s good to see it continuing to go from strength to strength.

I spent most of the rest of my time at the TransFaith table, and at the house I stayed at with some of the TransFaith leadership -- an AirBnB home they’ve used for some years, which was a good home and family experience for we renters as well.  And one night we went out to dinner, and another we hosted an unofficial and informal party, based around gumbo and primarily attended by people of color.  In some ways I wish I had spent more / different time at the Con, or perhaps even elsewhere – but mostly I think it was for the best.  I also toured the other tables, and made it out to the Reading Terminal Market once – I wanted to spend more time there, but it is overwhelming and overcrowded, and since moving to Montgomery County MD (from Boston MA last January) I have Amish markets near me.  And I took the local public transit for the first time, and the whole time.  I didn’t see much else of Philly, and I never have, but I would like to one day.

I am sorry I’ve missed so much of PTHC, and glad I returned, and hopeful that I can return again next year and beyond.

TransFaith Pre-Event at Philadelphia Trans Health Conference

Today was TransFaith’s 6th annual Pre-Event at Philadelphia Trans Health Conference.  As usual, we gathered the day before the con began, and at the William Way LGBT Community Center (also as usual, it's hard to not to enjoy their website is WayGay.org).

I’m a Community Engagement Adviser at TransFaith, and was especially happy – and anxious -- about this year’s Event because it included our first public conversation about fatphobia.  As a trans faith leader called to fat justice, I’ve been very unpleasantly surprised, to put it very mildly, by my attempts to have this conversation with trans, faith and social justice communities – and very pleasantly surprised with the conversation at TransFaith.  Talking and taking action towards fat justice is vital and long overdue, and it is so good to have a trans faith home, centered in social justice, that is on this road.  And we are talking about how to continue this public conversation this year, so stay tuned.
 
This year’s Pre-Event theme was “Growing Beyond”.  As our PR put it:  “We will gather and discuss how we might grow our intentionality in support of aspects of marginalization that are less frequently discussed within our community. Holiday Simmons will facilitate overall, with several small group leaders focusing conversation in specific topic areas. We will explore each of our relationships with issues related of age, nationality / immigration and fat-phobia/body image.”

We gathered informally for a short time, and then Holiday led us in an opening exercise, and we went around and did introductions – the opening question was to share a place we feel safe.  We also wrote about who we wish could be with, and shared some of that with the group.  Then we had attendees count themselves off into three groups, go to separate spaces, and rotate once an hour – so that each group experienced each topic.  Facilitators included Ovid Amorson, Janis Stacy, Gee Imaan Semmalar and his sisters; I co-facilitated the fatphobia conversation with TF’s Director of Community Engagement Louis Mitchell.

Our workshops and the rest of the day were definitely both a learning experience and a success – and that was especially surprising and relieving considering the logistical issues; everything from immigration issues with our immigration facilitators to snack snafus.  Longish story short, more of us were believers in Mercury retrograde by the end of the day.  But we improvised well, and most things were sorted out by dinner – which was from Maoz Vegetarian, sponsored by Lambda Legal.

We had about thirty people, with some coming and going all throughout the event.  Our biggest group by far was from Equality Pennsylvania – here is their photo at the event, taken by Equality PA’s Faith Organizer Ammon Ripple.



I also attended the rest of PTHC, which I hadn’t done since 2012 – more about that in my next post.

Trewscopalian Pride ; > ))

Happy Pride!!

If you're looking to see and/or submit Jewish LGBTQ Pride Month stuff, visit Keshet's page at http://www.keshetonline.org/pride/. Here's a collage I made of my favorite images (yes, that's a Jewish Bear flag, squee!).

Boston Pride is the top story in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts "E-News for May 2015" of May 20th, and the story's on their site here (EDOM was my diocese from birth until January 2014 when I moved to MD).  But we of TEC need to work on making "I think we're ready for a big fat celebration" a much...bigger double entendre.  #fatjustice

There’s also a Pride month piece in the June issue of Episcopal Church of the Ascension’s newsletter The Ascendant -- which I might have had something to do with (Ascension is our home church).

"June is LGBT Pride Month!

Among its many other meanings, June is LGBT Pride Month; locally, nationally and internationally. Though lesbian / gay / bisexual / transgender / queer et al (LGBTQ) history is as long as human history, in June of 1969, LGBTQ people at New York City’s Stonewall Inn fought back against a police raid. Every June since, there have been more Pride observances in more secular and faith communities -- marches, festivals, worship services and much more -- including here in the DMV.

And the LGBTQ community calendar has grown to include other special days, such as the international Transgender Day of Remembrance each November, where we remember all those who have lost their lives to transphobia – especially trans women of color. And for the first time, Montgomery County is presenting a trans-focused event this month too – more about that soon!

The Episcopal Church has long been a leader in the journey towards LGBT social justice, especially since the 1970s, within the larger Church and faith community as well as in the secular world. And we of TEC are blessed with our own LGBT and allied organizations, including Integrity USA and its transgender-focused partner TransEpiscopal, The Consultation and the Chicago Consultation. And all of these will be continuing their good work at the Church's 78th General Convention, this month and next in Salt Lake City.

Part of Integrity’s ministry is inviting Episcopal communities to become Believe Out Loud congregations, who publicly welcome and affirm LGBT people and have completed a six-step process -- Ascension is proud to be a BOL church; see http://www.ascensionmd.org/about-us/believe-out-loud/. One way we believe out loud is our conversation series Experiencing Diversity At Ascension, which includes LGBTQ issues along with race, class, gender, ability, health, age and more. Stay tuned to this and our other communications for the next part of this process.

For more information about LGBT issues in the Church, we invite you to visit http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/lgbt-church. Happy Pride!!”