A pro-fat activist has reportedly been hired by San Francisco’s Health Department to help promote “weight neutrality” and discourage stigmatization of those who are obese.
“I’m working with a team at the San Francisco Department of Public Health as a consultant on weight stigma and weight neutrality,” noted obesity proponent Virgie Tovar announced Monday on social media.
While many doctors consider “weight neutrality” philosophy – which shifts focus from weight to behavior – hard to swallow, Tovar characterizes its acceptance as her “biggest” agenda item:
“I'm UNBELIEVABLY proud to serve the city I've called home for almost 20 years in this way! This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it's my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health.”
Tovar, author of such books as You Have the Right to Remain Fat (Feminist Press, 2018), is an anti-weight-bias contributor for Forbes.com who has been featured by the New York Times, Tech Insider, BBC, MTV, and NPR.
“I don't agree with Dr. Phil on most things, but it's always a privilege to present the case for why we need to end diet culture and weight based discrimination,” wrote after being interviewed by the popular talk show host.
According to her biography, Tovar “completed a Master's degree focused on the study of how weight-based discrimination impacted lifelong gender trajectories in women of color.”
She’s boasts that she has “been named one of the 50 most influential feminists by Bitch Magazine” and says she considers fat activism to be a “political movement.”
