NOLOSE* is a vibrant community of

fat queers and our allies,
with a shared commitment to feminist, anti-oppression ideology and action,
seeking to end the oppression of fat people!

>> NOLOSE 2012: Fat Strikes Back! Registration is open! On September 7-9, in a big, fat galaxy known as the San Francisco Bay Area, fatties will be dreaming and scheming ways to bring fat activism into every corner and moment of our lives. Applications for financial assistance, scholarships, and the POC travel/lodging fund are open until June 1st, and proposals for workshops and entertainment are open until July 1st!

We're thrilled to announce that this year's keynote speaker will be Collette Carter (below), co-director of the Audre Lorde Project (a community organizing center for lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, trans and gender non-conforming people of color) and a self-identified "black queer fat femme activist." She says, "I believe at the heart of lasting movement-building is the work of making spaces which help us sustain hope and the possibility for survival, as well as transformation." We couldn't agree more! The conference will be held at the Oakland EconoLodge again this year; hotel rooms will be available only through the NOLOSE online registration process. Click here to learn more!

>> The Big Fat Flea is coming your way! The Big Fat Flea (formerly the Fat Girl Flea Market), a fatshion rummage sale for all genders, is coming up on Sunday, May 13 at the LGBT Center in Manhattan, NYC. (Yes, that's Mothers' Day — bring your mother, father, kids, friends, and next-door neighbors. The more, the merrier!)

This year, the Flea will be in a bigger space, and we'll be working on bringing in higher-quality items as well as personal shoppers (contact us if you'd like to volunteer for this!). There will also be a raffle, and all proceeds from the event go to NOLOSE.

The founder of the Flea, Deb Malkin, has moved across the country and passed the legacy along to the NOLOSE board! Thank you Deb, Marisa, and all the other organizers for years of producing an incredible event. The core organizers this year are Taueret Manu, Erin McCarthy, and NOLOSE board members Tara Shuai and Rebecca Weinberger. The Flea is coming up quickly, and we need your help with clothes and outreach! To volunteer and see a more detailed list of ways to get involved, sign up here. Also, be sure to "like" our Facebook page, and follow our tumblr for updates.

>> We've posted an independent group's response to white fat activism from People of Color in the fat justice movement; read it here.

>> Thank you for keeping NOLOSE fatter than ever! We rely entirely on conference proceeds and your generous donations to keep the organization moving forward. Big fat thanks to the organizers and volunteers of the PDX Fatty and Friends Cafe Fundraiser on 1/22 (Galadriel, Amithyst, Lisa, Devra, Sossity, and many more). More big fat thanks to Rebecca and Tara for organizing the NYC NOLOSE Brunch Fundraiser on 1/28; the food was delicious and the smiles were plentiful. And thanks to Rachel's Chub-a-Dub-Rub fundraiser, featuring her all-natural homemade soaps, we've raised even more funds. Yay, fundraising! If you'd like to organize a fundraiser in your community, we'd love to support you; contact us at info at nolose dot org.

>> We've got new board members! Please welcome Rebecca Weinberger from Brooklyn, NY, and Amithyst Fist from Portland, OR to the NOLOSE Board of Directors. We're so happy to have them.

>> Thanks to all who attended NOLOSE 2011: Bridge to Fatlandia. We explored citizenship! We bravely built fat pride community! We swam and ate and danced and talked and laughed and cried! The 2011 conference (click here for more info), held in Oakland, CA, was full of amazing discussion, exploration, discovery, challenge, and new ways of understanding and supporting each other. Enormous thanks to everyone who contributed time, energy, and resources to making this and future conferences as accessible and wonderful as can be. Stay tuned for information about our next conference, coming soon!

>> We have a new policy in place around gender, identity, and attendance for future conferences. Click here to learn more. Feel free to email feedback at nolose dot org with ideas around implementation, and how you feel we can best support the current and future community that is NOLOSE through this transition.

 

Talk to us! Check us out on Facebook , Twitter and LiveJournal .

We also have friendster and myspace pages. Check 'em out and join our network.

One way to meet up with fat LBTQ folks in your area is to check out our calendar, and see if there are any events near you. Please post info for any groups/events you know of! We have allies all over the world.

We also recommend the fatdykes e-mail list.

We are an entirely volunteer-run, nonprofit charitable organization. We need your help! Please click on the button below to make your charitable, tax-deductible contribution. Any donation you make will make a difference in keeping us going. As a 501(c)(3), all donations to NOLOSE are tax-deductible.

*NOLOSE started out as the National Organizations for Lesbians of SizE before expanding scope to a broader community of all genders, bound by a common queer, feminist, and fat-positive ideology.