“ Everyone — yes, everyone — deserves respect in the world. No one — not one person — deserves to be harassed, discriminated against, disrespected or hurt just because of the size or shape of their body.”

THIS. RIGHT. HERE.

I love how you said this — and that you DID say it. I’ve been overweight / heavy / “fat” most of my life. It started during puberty when I confused food with love and ended up weighing more than 200 lbs before I turned 16. My struggle continued into my 40’s when my health made me take my weight issue seriously and I underwent weight loss surgery to try and help me correct what diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure were doing to me — what they had done to my parents, my older sister and brother, and all my aunts. I applaud you for this stand — that “ Safety, acceptance and love are for all of us.” Thank you for this. While some might not consider me “that fat” I will continue to make the effort to respect others — no matter what their size — and to encourage / demand that others do the same. I will NOT stand silent when people make fun of others who they see as “that fat”. I will NOT allow people in my presence to say damaging things to other who they see as “that fat”, and I’ll continue to encourage every person I see to love who and what they see in the mirror every single day.