About NOLOSE

Nolose is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to ending the oppression of fat people and creating vibrant fat queer culture. In the activist and empowerment work that we do, we envision a world:

• that is accessible to fat people and reflective of us.
• that is without fat discrimination, hatred or prejudice.
• where fat people are empowered to create positive change in ourselves and in our communities.
• where beauty, morality, health, humor and fashion are divorced from size and shape and all bodies are celebrated.
• where fighting fat phobia is seen as integrally linked to other social justice issues such as the women’s movement, anti-racist and anti-imperialist struggles of people of color at home and around the world, queer and transgender movements, class struggle, disability rights movements and more.
• where all people have a right to basic human rights as well as joy, sensuality and self-determination.
• and where the diet industry closes up shop as the world sees their products for the oppressive and ineffective scams they are.

Herstory/Queerstory

Nolose was founded as the National Organization of Lesbians of Size Everywhere by Dot Nelson-Turnier, after the periodical Lesbian Connection published an image of a fat woman on its cover and many people among its readership reacted negatively. Dot funded Nolose herself for the first two years, before recruiting a board of directors and expanding the from a New York regional base to a national and international community.

Nolose’s gender policy was changed to include women and trans folks in the early 2000s, and in 2011 we became an organization by and for people of all genders.

Since our 1998 newsletter and first conference in 1999 we have held conferences in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, California, and Oregon. We’ve had online community on friendster, livejournal, and Facebook, and our community has run Fat Flea Markets in NYC and Cupcakes and Muffintops in the California Bay Area. We’ve funded day-long conferences in Boston and New York, a clothing swap in Austin, and a roller-skating party in Philadelphia, a zine-making party and festival in London, and a drag night in San Francisco.

Nolose’s present and future

Nolose is expanding! We are funding regional programming where you are, and are incubating community-run conferences. We have community members running active and vibrant Facebook groups, an e-mail list, and some powerhouse committees doing everything from planning the future of people of color in Nolose to recruiting new volunteers and board members to running this website! And we can’t wait to work with you!