Some time ago, Diane Israel, Joe Eiben and I did an interview for a local radio station on eating disorders. It was great to have not only a male perspective, but a gay man's voice in the group. There was quite a lot of discussion about the difficulties that the gay community faces both in general and in regard to eating disorders. Somehow there's this idea that "thin is in" in certain communities. This is certainly the case in Boulder, where the average person is an ultra endurance athlete who does yoga on the side, eats a vegan diet and avoids processed sugar. Apparently in the gay community though, there's fat, and then there's "gay fat". This is a term mostly applied to gay men, and it means that what some would consider being normal isn't good enough. Even a thin gay man can be considered gay fat, because there's an emphasis on having an ultra thin, excessively toned body. It's upsetting that those who are often already struggling with acceptance must also face pressure from their peers to be a certain way.
Diane's post explains better than I can some issues that arise for those who are, as she put it, LGBTQ-identified (Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender, Queer). I think it's fantastic how far Diane has come. Mostly I just want to share her post, because I think she has incredible insight and offers a unique perspective.
No comments:
Post a Comment