The San Francisco Department of Public Health has hired a self-described “anti-weight discrimination” expert to consult on “weight stigma and weight neutrality.”
Virgie Tovar, author of “You Have the Right to Stay Fat” and other published works on “fat positivity and body acceptance,” announced on her Instagram on Monday that she had been hired to consult for the department, called the collaboration an “absolute dream come true.” true.”
“I am incredibly proud to serve the city I have called home for nearly 20 years in this way!” she wrote. “This consultancy is an absolute dream come true and it is my greatest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health.”
Tovar’s website lists her as a Latina author, educator and leading expert on weight discrimination and body positivity with over a decade of experience.
She is a contributor to Forbes, where she covers stories on the “plus size market.”
Her most recent articles include features about hosting a “size-inclusive” Thanksgiving and alleged “fatphobia” in current television shows.
It is unclear what role Tovar will play within the department.
The San Francisco Department of Public Health did not respond when asked by Fox News Digital about details of Tovar’s consultancy.
Tovar has been vocal against diet culture and BMI measurements on her social media platforms.
In a video posted by Project Heal, Tovar discussed how medical professionals pressured her to lose weight since she was a child, and that she falsely believed they were doing it for her health.
“I really believed it had something to do with my health. “I really believed my doctor was right and so I was using the language of ‘getting better’, but I was actually deep in the throes of anorexia,” she said.
In July, Tovar posted that she conducted weight bias training for unnamed government employees, sharing 4 tips she learned to help reduce the “stigma around food and bodies at work.”
“1. Talk less or not at all about how you and others eat at work,” she wrote. “2. Talk less or not at all about you or others’ bodies at work. 3. Talk less or not at all about exercise at work. 4. Don’t assume that food, weight, body size, or exercise are safe or comfortable topics to discuss at work for everyone.”
In a separate Instagram post, Tovar held up a sign with the words “I don’t want Ozempic,” sharing that she was offered the weight-loss drug for free but turned it down because it wouldn’t “solve weight bias.”
She has also been critical of the characterization of obesity as a “disease”.
Tovar offers DEI corporate training, according to its website, which lists the Seattle Transit Agency, UC Berkeley and other well-known companies as previous clients.
Tovar could not be reached by Fox News Digital for comment.
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