The first study – which explored experiences of antifat bias among gay men and the body image correlates of these experience – involved 215 participants (gay men aged from 18 to 78), who completed measures of antifat bias, body image disturbance, and open-ended questions about their experience with antifat bias. But now – after noting that “no studies have examined this issue empirically even though popular culture suggests that weight-based prejudice is especially common among gay men” – a study published in the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity scientifically suggested that antifat bias is a “challenge for many members of the gay community, even those who are not technically overweight”.įor “ Fat Chance! Experiences and Expectations of Antifat Bias in the Gay Male Community”, Olivia Foster-Gimbel and Renee Engeln conducted two studies exploring antifat bias among gay men.

Anecdotes about fat-shaming within the gay community abound (for example, check THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS and THIS).