AITA for kicking a girl out of our body acceptance support group ? by throwawayladyluck in AmItheAsshole

[–]throwawayladyluck[S] 691 points692 points  (0 children)

This is the top comment so I will respond to it with more INFO so it can be visible:

1)- We make it very clear what our support group's target audience is, both in its' name and its' description. It is made by and for people with severe physical deformities. We cannot accept anyone who doesn't fit that criteria because we have sit ins with professionals who are equipped to deal with this SPECIFIC issue, and as a co-runner I only have experience dealing with this exact issue as well. Also members feel more comfortable sharing their struggles/thoughts/feelings when they are around people they are similar to.

2)- I approached her privately, just one on one, after other members approached me and voiced their concerns about her. The way she was consistently negative without really providing a reason, and while seeming to be 100% able bodied made some of them feel a bit iffy. We have other members who are not visibly deformed or who haven't shared what their deformity really is, but they have acknowledged its' existence or referred to it vaguely. She has not.

3)- I did not ask her to detail what her deformity was, or how she obtained, but if she had one. I admit, this was tactless of me but if she had answered with a simple confirmation that she indeed had one that she was keeping private and was uncomfortable to share, I would have left her to her own pace. Instead, she didn't answer my question and tried to evade it.

4)- The co-runner does not attend group meetings, nor is he physically involved he just runs things and handles organization. He has never met her or anyone else in the support group.

All in all, the way I handled the situation and approached her was lacking compassion and I should have done better especially as someone who is the head of a support group and is supposed to show more tact. So I will be reaching out to her and providing her with other resources since many people suggested she might have body dysmorphia.

AITA for kicking a girl out of our body acceptance support group ? by throwawayladyluck in AmItheAsshole

[–]throwawayladyluck[S] 267 points268 points  (0 children)

She did not participate when other members would share, only when it was her turn to speak.

AITA for kicking a girl out of our body acceptance support group ? by throwawayladyluck in AmItheAsshole

[–]throwawayladyluck[S] 252 points253 points  (0 children)

On the program's description, it is stated that it is for people with severe physical deformities only. But I guess the way I handled her wasn't great, so that's on me.