“Feminism brought me to a place where I could begin to think about embracing veganism as a necessary part of an ethic of social justice. Feminist ideology, a reading of Carol Adams’ The Sexual Politics of Meat and visiting a small family dairy allowed me the pull I needed to abandon my “pescatarianism” for veganism. Veganism is an ethic of (non)consumption that most closely reflects my feminist ideology. It is one way in which I can make a simple choice every time I eat that is overtly political in its message.”

“

Like most vegans, I wasn’t one my whole life. As of now, I’ve been vegan for over twelve years. Six years before that I was a vegetarian. I had made the decision to become vegetarian because I didn’t want to support the violence that was inherent in the industry that killed animals for food. I made the decision not based on health, or concern for the environment, but on ethics. I thought adopting vegetarianism was “good enough” in not supporting the problematic dilemma of taking of a life when it really isn’t necessary to do so. I hadn’t thought then of going vegan. To me at the time it seemed like a step that was more rooted in a sense of purity than anything else. I had deluded myself into thinking that the animals used in the dairy and egg industry were somehow better taken care of, that they didn’t have to be killed to get what we wanted from them. How wrong I was.

Later I learned things that I hadn’t known before, which made it all too clear that the cycle of violence and exploitation is just as prevalent in the dairy and egg industry as the meat industry. I was ashamed and disappointed that I allowed myself to be duped by an industry that presented a wholesome pastoral image of how animals were cared for, when the reality behind the industries was a lot crueler and bloodier than I had ever imagined. After being educated, I could no longer in good conscience support those practices. As a result I made the choice to become vegan, back in 2000, and have not regretted for a single second my decision. In the years since, I have been continually exposed to more evidence that solidified and confirmed the ethics behind my choice.

I offer to you, whether you are vegetarian or not, some of the same information that you may not know about the dairy and egg industry as part of twelve reasons I’ve complied of why reconsideration in supporting them is necessary. Do not feel bad if you do not know many or even any of these points; there is a reason this information is kept hidden from the public discourse–the industries know that if the greater public really knows what goes on, the demand for their products will drop. If you have an ethical concern for animals, then please read through the Dirty Dozen on why vegetarianism is sadly not enough in order for you to live in accordance with your values.”

Follow the link for the full list…

Gary Yourofsky [x] (via skittishkitten

)

(via veganology)

(Source: veganlove)

(Source: arrastrada, via veganpaigey)

Because animals this beautiful and intelligent shouldn’t have to be locked up in oversized swimming pools.