Which fat-activism-and-fun conference should I go to this summer?

Mar. 10th, 2006 at 12:44 PM

Here are the choices and my pros-and-cons lists:

June 23-25, 2006
ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health) conference for Health at Every Size professionals and lay advocates.
Case Western Reserve University
Near Cleveland, Ohio
PROS: small; serious; they're doing really important work
CONS: too soon to travel after wiscon, hard to get to, maybe too focused on one thing for what I want, don't know how many actually fat people will be there as opposed to allies (this matters to me - it's healing to me to be around a lot of other fat people), ~~unclear whether meeting venue is air conditioned~~

July 25 - July 30th, 2006
http://www.bbwnetwork.com/vegas/vegasmain.html
BBWnetwork 10th Anniversary Vegas MEGA Bash 2006
Stardust Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas
PROS: easy to get to; have friends in the area
CONS: looks more social and less activist than is ideal for me; unfamiliar with organization; unclear how queer-friendly

Sept. 1-3, 2006
http://www.nolose.org/
menla retreat center in the catskills
http://www.tibethouse.org/menla/menla_new/splash.htm
PROS: nolose has the whole retreat center to itself; activism + social; queer, like organization
CONS: really hard to get to (flight AND bus ride), unclear whether rooms are air-conditioned; possibly too "hip" for me
NOT SURE WHETHER PRO OR CON: women only (I love being in women-only spaces, but I have issues around mixed-gender spaces that I might be able to work on at a different conference)

summer 2006
NAAFA conference
somewhere on the east coast
PROS: went to one and liked it, has people of my age and "hipness level", I like the organization, activism + social, queer-friendly
CONS: hard to get to, don't know when and where it is

Thoughts? Are you planning to go to any of these conferences? Have you been to any of them in the past?

(Don't cop out and tell me to go to all of them! I hate traveling too much.)

Comments

( 19 comments — Leave a comment )

ex_serenejo

Mar. 10th, 2006 08:54 pm (UTC)

The people I know who go to the Bash are umm, very het-focused, and very much cruising for sex partners when they go there. I am not saying they're representative, but I get lots of tales back about what a great place it was to hook up for lots of hot fat sex, and while I'm all for that, it's not the flavor of conference I'm most looking for.

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firecat

Mar. 12th, 2006 12:02 am (UTC)

Thanks for the datapoint. Having the option to hook up for hot fat sex would be a plus for me, but being pressured to do it because that's all there is to do wouldn't be a plus.

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stonebender

Mar. 10th, 2006 09:06 pm (UTC)

From what I'm reading in your pros and cons it sounds like you want to go to NAAFA if you could just solve this pesky when and where thing.

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cassidyrose

Mar. 10th, 2006 09:07 pm (UTC)

I will be too pregnant to fly for most of these, then I will have a very, very new newborn at the time of NOLOSE so, unfortunately, I cannot make any of them.

If it were me, and I were able to travel, I'd go to the ASDAH and NOLOSE.

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auntysocial

Mar. 11th, 2006 02:28 am (UTC)

Vegas in July! Seems like a totally crazy idea for someone who hates heat as much as I do.....but I can get there in my air-conditioned car! Haley Hertz who does altered books and artist trading cards lives there! I have the same doubts you do....but I know I would have a good time if you were there. Let's think about it.

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firecat

Mar. 11th, 2006 06:55 am (UTC)

If you're thinking about going, that increases my interest considerably! And I would love to introduce you to my friend

chickenwitch and her sweetie.

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hq447

Mar. 11th, 2006 05:10 pm (UTC)

i vote nolose, but i am biased. I really had an awful time at NAAFA. but the thing in ohio sounds totally interesting. and i agree with mr. and mrs. serenejournal about bashes - they seem het-centric and for crusing.

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firecat

Mar. 11th, 2006 06:05 pm (UTC)

Did you go to the SF Bay Area NAAFA last year or some other NAAFA event? If the former, I'm curious in what ways you found it awful.

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hq447

Mar. 11th, 2006 11:10 pm (UTC)

i went to naafa about 5 years ago. I can't remember where it was held. but it felt really meat markety.

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firecat

Mar. 11th, 2006 11:59 pm (UTC)

Thanks. I heard the organizers of the SF Bay Area one made various efforts to combat the meat-market atmosphere that's prevailed at previous NAAFAs. And mostly it didn't feel meat-markety to me. Maybe because I was hanging around with a bunch of queer friends? I don't know whether other NAAFA events will be handled by the same people in the same way.

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ex_serenejo

Mar. 12th, 2006 06:08 pm (UTC)

*giggle* Mr. and Mrs. Serenejournal! *giggle*

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auntysocial

Mar. 11th, 2006 09:43 pm (UTC)

I'd love to meet them. I notice Chickenwitch has Anais Nin as an interest. I'm a Nin-ny from way back.

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firecat

Mar. 11th, 2006 11:52 pm (UTC)

Did we talk about this once? I wrote my college senior thesis in psychology on Nin. Shall I bring a copy for you to 'alter'? ;-)

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auntysocial

Mar. 13th, 2006 10:01 pm (UTC)

I don't remember talking about this, but that doesn't mean we didn't. by all means, bring a copy!

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auntysocial

Mar. 11th, 2006 02:28 am (UTC)

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hq447

Mar. 11th, 2006 05:11 pm (UTC)

oh yes, and too hip - i think it depends on how comfy you are talking to strangers? i think nolose has all kinds, honestly. but again, i could be biased. i've been going since they started having them.

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firecat

Mar. 11th, 2006 06:07 pm (UTC)

Thanks for the datapoint, I appreciate it! I really do want to come to NOLOSE sometime.

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