EFH Round 1: Pride 2023
The FLARE Project celebrates the contributions of people using the legal system to fight for fat justice. For Pride month, we are recognizing the generations of fat LGBTQIA++ lawyers and allies volunteering their time and life’s blood to support fat justice work. You can get involved in the movement to end body size discrimination and support legislation in your state by signing the petition at dove.com/sizefreedom today!
Image Description: An artistic rendering of a fat, white, middle-aged butch woman with short, silvery hair wearing thick black glasses.
Mo (Marilyn) Kalman
Ancestor Mo (Marilyn) Kalman was a proud fat, Jewish, dyke attorney born in New York who was involved in many radical movements in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was deeply involved in tenants’ rights. She worked tirelessly on behalf of political prisoners and successfully negotiated a fat rights case about theater seating. To address anti-fat attitudes in the queer community, Mo was part of organizing Let It All Hang Out (LIAHO) Day and a subsequent float in the SF Pride Parade. She was a core Dyke March organizer and made sure fat dykes and BIPOC performers were represented on the Dyke March stage. Mo is deeply missed.
Image Description: An artistic rendering of a fat, white, feminine person smiling, with dark gray bobbed hair with short, dark clothes and a necklace.
Carole Cullum
Retired attorney Carole Cullum was instrumental in passing San Francisco’s height/weight anti discrimination law. She was involved in politics in the 1960s, worked with Congresswoman Bella Abzug in the 1970s to end the Vietnam war, and never stopped fighting for justice. A long time volunteer for NAAFA, she dedicated many hours of volunteer service to the organization including help with fundraising. She first married her wife when San Francisco’s Mayor Gavin Newsom defied convention and allowed “same-sex” marriage in the city. Even now, in her late 70s, she continues to organize and demand equal rights for all residents in her Sun City retirement home.
Image Description: An artistic rendering of a fat, Chinese-American person smiling as her short, dark, wavy hair reflects the light. She’s wearing blue and black.
Elaine Lee
Attorney Elaine Lee has been working at the intersection of fat, queer, and racial justice communities, dedicating her time and skills in numerous ways. She served on the Board of NOLOSE; NOLOSE had its first BIPOC-only conference day under her joint leadership. She currently serves on the Board of NAAFA, which puts out incredible programming and activism and is the cofounder for the Campaign For Size Freedom along with the FLARE project. The FLARE project is also grateful for Elaine’s brilliant contributions to our legal advocacy over the years.