Fat Beach Day events are springing up across the US in an effort to fight back against fat-phobia, reclaim safe spaces for the community and honor plus-size culture. Today, one of these celebrations is being held to coincide with Pride month at Jacob Riis Beach in New York, a location deeply ensconced in the city’s activism space.

“We’re going through something culturally that is impacting us every day on an individual level and a systemic level,” said Jordan Underwood, the event organizer. “We’re really trying to open up a space for people to be themselves.”

Underwood, a plus-size model, artist and activist, described being bullied for their weight as far back as middle school. Consistent hate, cruelty and harmful rhetoric from fellow students led to them setting up a blog at 12 years old, which became a place where they documented their experiences and made sense of what they were going through. In many ways, this marked the beginning of their journey into what they denote as “fat activism”.