Fired for being fat? 
Taken from your home for being fat?
Denied health care for being fat?
Barred from transportation or services for being fat?
Told "There's nothing you can do"?
Yup -- this is all happening to fat people, all the time! (If this has happened to you personally, please post a comment and let us know about it.) For a well-done summary of some current examples, please see Peggy Elam's post on this subject.
Even more outrageous -- with few exceptions, such fat discrimination is legal in most U.S. states and localities. Something needs to be done about this! Well, something is: with FLARE! -- the light of empowerment against the hopeless darkness of fat discrimination.
Bloggers have been asked by Problogger to post "with heart" about our favorite charity, in exchange for a chance to win $1,000 for the named cause. I didn't even need to think about this one.
My favorite charity is NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) 
and specifically their FLARE! (Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights and Education) fund.
NAAFA is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA has been working since 1969 to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support. NAAFA needs the support of everyone who feels that size discrimination is unfair and unacceptable.
The FLARE! fund is NAAFA's response to the lack of legal support for the rights of fat people. FLARE! consults with victims of weight discrimination, their friends, families, and allies; and assists attorneys looking for resources and information about how to tackle fat discrimination. With few laws prohibiting weight discrimination and few lawyers trained to fight it, the FLARE! Project is currently one of the only places to turn for support and encouragement.
If you are a fat person; if you love a fat person; if you are a person of any size who believes that size discrimination is just plain wrong, I urge you to join me in supporting NAAFA and FLARE, with your membership and your donations! And, please post a comment to share your vocal support.
Fat discrimination is a dark blight in our society -- please help keep the FLARE! flames of hope burning.
Image in the public domain by Sackerman519 on Flickr.
AmpleThanks,
-Anne
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