“I knew that I was walking into a moment and a weekend where I could unconditionally know that the folks around me were not going to judge me based on what I look like — and, in fact, were going to celebrate me for all that I’ve been through, all who I am and who I’m becoming,” she said.
“That means impacting not just fat culture, but overall societal culture,” Ray said. “I know for a fact that we’re on the right side of history by doing something like this, no matter what hate that we’ve gotten from it — we’re doing the right thing, not just for fat people but for society.
“It was a quick little conference, but I was able to unpack a lot of the ways that I do think about myself and the way that my friends think about themselves,” McCool said. “I was able to sort of take the things that I learned and transfer them on to other relationships and speak life into other people that are experiencing life in a fat body.”Philly FatCon will be Oct. 18 to 20 at the University of Arts, Dorrance Hamilton Hall, in Center City.
The convention concludes on Sunday, Oct. 20, at the Plus Swap + Shop event, where attendees can score plus-size clothing items. There will be a panel discussion.