For those interested in medicine at the University of Louisville, a new conference has come to pass.
And it’s not just about general health.
So far as I can tell, medicine’s morphing.
Over the past year, medical institutions have hit headlines in ways suggesting substantial change.
Apropos of that, in the spirit of training your future doctor on more than diagnoses, pharmaceuticals, and how to operate, the school seems to be operating on feel.
Hence, the U of L School of Medicine’s September 15th discussion.
As relayed by The College Fix, the seminar was set to study “the oppressive history of the Body Mass Index (BMI) within the medical industrial complex.”
Also addressed: “best practices to reduce the harm experienced by fat LGBTQ+ patients in healthcare settings.”
The official topic, as stated by the invitation:
LGBTQ+ Affirming Healthcare Series presents “The Intersection of Fatphobia and LGBTQ+ Health”
The event aimed to “examine the impact of body terrorism on fat LGBTQ+ people.”
Its registration page asked students to designate their discipline:
- Continuing Medical Education – Medicine
- Continuing Education Unit – Nursing
- Continuing Education Unit – Psychology
- Continuing Education Unit – Social Work
Regarding who’s covered in the conversation, if you’re an overweight straight male, it’s definitely not your day. If you’re a straight and heavy woman, you’re out as well.
Among those privileged to be a part:
- Fat Cisgender Gay Male
- Fat Cisgender Lesbian
- Fat Straight Biological Male Identifying as a Woman
- Fat Straight Biological Female Identifying as a Man
- Fat Queer Biological Male Identifying as a Woman
- Fat Queer Biological Female Identifying as a Man
- Fat Cisgender Bisexual Male
- Fat Cisgender Bisexual Female
- Fat Bisexual Biological Male Identifying as a Woman
- Fat Bisexual Biological Female Identifying as a Man
- Any Fat Pansexual
As for “fatphobia,” it’s been battled chivalrously in recent times.
In May, I reported that Cosmo manhandled myths with its “This is Healthy” covers:
This is Healthy? Cosmo Rings in the New Year by Promoting Obesity https://t.co/BxXsbaHNC9
— Not the Bee (@Not_the_Bee) January 4, 2021
Back in 2019, Sports Illustrated “[shattered] perceptions” with model Hunter McGrady:
Take a trip to Costa Rica with Hunter McGrady! https://t.co/mpOHPAQFdV pic.twitter.com/qaQRImBE4J
— Sports Illustrated Swimsuit (@SI_Swimsuit) May 17, 2019
Model Tess Holiday’s been big news:
Tess Holliday Is The Biggest Thing Ever To Happen To Modeling http://t.co/oJlmp7HJtf via @aswordmaven pic.twitter.com/DqtG3WiAI8
— BuzzReads (@BuzzReads) May 15, 2015
But in May, she issued a shocker:
Will Smith posted he's "In the worst shape of his life" and got 100% support the same day plus sized model Tess Holiday said she's "anorexic and in recovery" after pressure to be thin and got slammed and shamed in case you were wondering how women and men are treated differently pic.twitter.com/p7bi7TMfJI
— The Cooper and Anthony Show (@CooperAnAnthony) May 3, 2021
So goes body shaming, and TheBodyIsNotAnApology explains “body terrorism”:
The Body Is Not An Apology is a movement focused on countering the devastating impacts of hating our bodies and having others hate our bodies.
From racist and antisemitic violence including lynching, slavery, the Holocaust, and internment camps;
to LGBTQIA+ bodies being assaulted, murdered and driven to suicide regularly;
to rape and sexual assault;
to the bombing of abortion clinics and the murder of physicians supporting cis women’s, trans men’s, and non-binary people’s right to autonomy over their own bodies;
to the involuntary sterilization of disabled people;
to the debilitating shame that people around the world live with as a result of the psychological attacks our social and media machines wage against us, ending in bulimia and anorexia, addiction, stigma, racism, homophobia, ableism, sizeism, ageism, transphobia, mass self-hatred, and senseless violence as a result of body hatred — it is clear to us that there’s nothing overly rhetorical about clearly stating the impacts of body hatred and calling the promotion of such hatred on any scale an act of body-based terrorism.
The medical community’s here to help.
These days, it’s aiding a lot:
To Be Inclusive of Non-Binary Parents, Hospitals Nix the Terms ‘Breast Milk’ and ‘Father’
Mayo Clinic Upgrades Its Dress Policy to Include Pronoun Buttons
Columbia Medical School Launches Workshops on ‘Disrupting Racism’ and Microaggression Management
American Psychiatry Association Condemns the ‘Structural Racism’ Murder of George Floyd
Concerning obesity, the problem appears particularly pronounced for one letter of the rainbow.
As heralded by The Washington Free Beacon in 2015, “Taxpayers Have Now Spent $3.5 Million to Find Out Why Lesbians Are Obese.”
The project, now entering its fifth year, received another grant worth $658,485 this summer. The total funding for the research is now $3,531,925. Funding has more than doubled since the study was first revealed in 2013.
Will fighting fatphobia ease the race for research?
Though I’d think not, I’m no expert; trust the University of Louisville — they’re the doctors.
And if they say defeating fatphobia will improve LGBTQ+ health, I guess that’s the science.
At least, it’s what science seems to have become.
-ALEX
See more pieces from me:
Another Comedian Takes a Stand Against Vaccine Mandates, Is Willing to ‘Sacrifice a Lot of Money’
Another Fiery Year: Survey Reveals More Than 3 Million First-Time Gun Buyers as of Mid-2021
Find all my RedState work here.
Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member