THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE FAT ACCEPTANCE (NAAFA) will hold its annual convention beginning August 6, in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the official schedule, the gathering will get started with an “Afternoon Sightseeing Tour of Atlanta including a stop for lunch on your own.” The next day, after the welcoming brunch, attendees can choose from a wide variety of lectures, panel discussions, and seminars. At 2:30, for instance, one can choose either “Workshop 1-Water Aerobics,” or, for those with more modest objectives, “Workshop 2-Movement.” Other activities during the week include a pool party sponsored by the Hipsters Social Club, a “Woman of Substance Slide Show,” a Fashion Show, and even a storytelling session where participants will “raise [their] voices in a celebration of size.” The week ends with a session called “Taking it Home,” a self-esteem workshop that “will use discussion, humor and roll [sic] play” to keep “positive feelings throughout the year.”

NAAFA seemingly has official policies on everything size-related–employment discrimination, weight-loss drugs, obesity research, even discrimination against those who might be called grandesexuals. (According to NAAFA literature: “Based on anecdotal evidence, five to ten percent of the population has a sexual preference for a fat partner,” and the public opprobrium associated with such a predilection leads to “a disruption in personal growth and inadequate development of social and interpersonal skills.”)