Medical Fatphobia: ASDAH Fighting for Dignity | TCF

Guest Post By Angel A.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed, misdiagnosed, humiliated, or outright harmed when seeking care because of your size, you are not alone. I’m with you, and you deserve better. We deserve better than medical fatphobia. I’m the Advocacy & Community Leader of an organization fighting for us that you might not even be aware of. It’s called the Association for Size Diversity and Health (or ASDAH). For over two decades, ASDAH has been quietly doing some of the loudest and most revolutionary work behind the scenes to shift how health, wellness, and care should be defined for fat people, especially for those living at additionally marginalized and oppressed intersections. We’re stepping forward to reach you directly because we want to know we are here to support you, and we want you with us as we head into the future, fighting against medical bias.

So What Exactly Does ASDAH Do to Fight Medical Fatphobia?

ASDAH is a nonprofit membership organization made up of health professionals, educators, advocates, and community members who are committed to ending weight stigma and promoting access to compassionate, equitable healthcare for people in bodies of ALL sizes. Fat people, especially those who are Black, disabled, superfat+ (like me), trans, or otherwise marginalized, are still being denied care, dignity, and access in healthcare systems designed to exclude them due to pervasive medical fatphobia. ASDAH exists to change that.

You’ve Probably Already Heard of Health at Every Size® (HAES®). Here’s the REAL DEAL

Founded in 2003, ASDAH is the official home of Health at Every Size®. We are the legal trademark holder of HAES®. That means we protect and steward its legacy, ensure its integrity, and continue to guide it as it evolves in alignment with the needs of people in larger bodies. While other people and organizations have diluted or co-opted the HAES® name to serve weight-loss agendas, secure financial gain, or even exclude those on the largest end of the fatness spectrum, ASDAH has remained committed to the radical truth that health CANNOT be determined by body size.

Everyone, no matter their size, deserves the very best, most accommodating and compassionate care, not shame. ASDAH is not just an idea. We are a movement, a network, and a resource that is available to YOU. HAES® is a groundbreaking, evidence-informed approach to care that challenges the false assumption that thinness equals health. It affirms that people of all sizes can pursue health in ways that are autonomous, compassionate, and free from the oppression of diet culture and medical fatphobia.

In 2024, ASDAH released the new and revised HAES® Principles and added to our arsenal the HAES® Framework of Care. If you’ve ever wished your doctor’s office felt like a place of safety rather than shame, been told to “just lose weight” for a condition that had nothing to do with your size, felt invisible in healthcare spaces filled with weight-loss talk, anti-fat marketing, or chairs you couldn’t even fit in, HAES® was created to change all of this and make obtaining care a better experience with better outcomes.

But How ASDAH Can Help YOU? 

I’m so glad you asked! ASDAH isn’t just here to talk about change. We’re here to transform the healthcare landscape. Whether you’re a health professional who wants to practice more ethically or a fat person looking for community and advocacy tools, we offer a list of resources. Most events are recorded and available to members for future reference.

For individuals and community members, we offer:

• Workshops where we share tools for fat self-advocacy and navigating healthcare

• Events like annual conferences and other community gatherings 

• Moderated spaces for real and vulnerable conversations about issues we face when trying to seek care as people in larger bodies

For health professionals, we offer:

• Informative educational, research-based events and trainings for health professionals seeking to unlearn weight stigma and offer respectful, compassionate, and evidence-informed care

• Continuing education units (CEUs) for qualifying events

• A space to unlearn, grow, and get accountable without shame.

Want to Get Involved? Here’s How!

I will be transparent. We are in a tough position as an organization, and our future is in jeopardy. ASDAH is at a crossroads. Our ability to continue this work depends on the support of our community.

We’re a grassroots organization doing justice-centered work in a sociopolitical environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion are under real attack. You see it. You feel it. We’re not backed by corporations that push diet culture. We don’t have big-name sponsors who promote weight loss. We are powered by people like you who believe that we deserve to live, thrive, and access care without medical fatphobia.

This is why we’re asking you to join us in ways that are most accessible to you and impactful in the world. We want you to become part of this movement in any way that works best for your life. 

1. Become a Member or Monthly Donor: Become a member of ASDAH as a professional or a community supporter. You’ll get access to exclusive events, learning opportunities, community spaces, and the ability to help shape the future of HAES® and ASDAH. Become a Member Today!
2. Support with a Recurring or One-Time Donation: Giving even $5/month can help keep our mission alive and thriving. Your recurring gift ensures that we can continue training health professionals, offering resources to our community, upholding and protecting HAES®, all working towards ensuring those who suffer most because of medical fatphobia, begin to get the care they deserve. Give Monthly or One-Time! 

Help Us Reach Our Goal of 500 Monthly Donors by September 30th

We’ve set an ambitious but urgent goal to gain 500 new monthly donors of $5 or more by September 30th with our ASDAH Summer of Solidarity Campaign! We know that many people in our community are stretched thin, but we also know that if each person reading this gives what they can, we can sustainably compensate our leadership for their labor as they do all the heavy lifting day-to-day to expand our programs to serve even more people. Share our efforts with others and let them know why you gave.

You can also follow us on Instagram and Meta to stay in the loop! You deserve care that perceives your whole humanity. ASDAH is working diligently to make this happen. Let’s make it happen TOGETHER!