EDRD Pro is honored to have the FEDUP Collective as part of our community!
In case you are new to their incredible work, FEDUP is a “collective of trans+, intersex, and gender diverse people who believe eating disorders in marginalized communities are social justice issues. Our mission is to make visible, interrupt, and undermine the disproportionately high incidence of eating disorders in trans and gender diverse individuals through radical community healing, recovery institution reform, research, empowerment, and education.”
You can connect with FEDUP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or at www.fedupcollective.org. Today, we are excited to feature two voices of the FEDUP community: Meet Scout Silverstein (they/them/theirs) and Bee Norris (they/them/theirs).
What’s your favorite meal?
Eggplant always! Paired with a flat noodle + homemade alfredo sauce. Love a banana pudding or apple crisp for dessert. *chef’s kiss* – Scout
What’s saving your life right now?
Animals are saving my life right now!! I may be adopting a new dog soon, so that’s giving me extra motivation and energy. – Bee
If you could choose anyone as a mentor, who would it be, and why?
I already have such great mentors! Shira Hassan and Kelly McGowan are both family and teachers who have been pioneers in harm reduction, sex worker’s rights, building participatory decision making within organizations, and helping white people to move towards explicit anti-racist action. – Scout
What would you say is one of the most valuable skills you’ve developed in your career?
One of the most valuable skills I’ve learned through the work I do is actively listening. As someone with ADHD, I tend to talk a lot, so this is something I’ve been working on over the years. It has improved my understanding of the world and all of my relationships. – Bee
If you didn’t do what you do professionally, what other job or field would you have pursued, and why?
I actually worked in executive finance as a complex controller (overseeing P&L, forecasting, etc.) for multiple hotels at once in Times Square. I left to pursue a career where I could affect direct change but I have to say, working in the hotel industry came very naturally to me and I loved to go above and beyond to make guests feel special. – Scout
What’s something that most people don’t know about you?
I’m earnest and silly! In the professional setting, I seem to come off differently but I absolutely love everything about what I do. I even – or especially – love hard conversations with colleagues. I find that people are surprised when they meet me to discover that I have warm energy. Beyond that, at different points in my life I was a competitive chess player, competitive Scrabble player (3-minute games!), and also played snare drum in a professional marching band for five years. – Scout
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
The best part of what I do is being able to turn my passions into action. When I was a therapist, I often felt stuck, frustrated, and helpless because of all the systems working against my clients and myself. Working with FEDUP provides me with more space and opportunities to support individuals, while also pushing back against the systems that harm us. – Bee
Why eating disorders treatment? What drives you?
Challenges with my relationship to food and body have been ever-present throughout my life. As a neurodivergent trans person, I have encountered numerous barriers to accessing appropriate treatment and care which fuels my passion to advocate for change. – Bee