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| Duchesnay Falls in the Fall! |
What struck me was that VOMD's friend has faced, much like VOMD, a great deal of opposition to his lifestyle choice from coworkers and strangers who find out he is vegan. He told us that at one point he was called a "faggot" for not eating animal products. His response to this type of hate is very understandably to keep his veganism to himself as much as possible. I have heard from others who tell me that they are called pussies if they tell people they are vegan. I am so sad and sorry that this is the case for many of those who choose to go vegan and it seems especially the case for vegan men. VOMD faced the same sort of discrimination in the workplace when working for a cement pouring company here in Hamilton. It is one of the reasons he chose to leave that job in search of greener
(and kinder) pastures.
This is why I will never stop talking openly about being vegan - so that some day they can feel safe doing so too (and obviously so that some day the planet and all the animals that live on it will be safe from human violence).
Speaking with Sherry at Piebird we learned her approach to talking about veganism among non-vegans - wait to be asked and then acknowledge that you are happy to answer the question. I think that this is a great approach. Teach by living. But sometimes teaching by ling isn't enough. Vegans get a bad rap for talking about their food and their lifestyle choices a lot. I think that what is actually going on is that non-vegans just notice more when we talk about our food because it sounds different; it stands out. It is like if all the world's gardens had only blue flowers; yellow flowers would certainly stand out, even if there were only a few. When we talk about our lifestyle choices, and about our love for animals, and our decision not to profit from their misfortune, it stands out!
Think back to the last holiday dinner (maybe Thanksgiving dinner!) with a group of vegans and non-vegans. Now, in your head, count how many references were made to turkey, hunting, milk, and other animal products by non-vegans. Now count the number of times a vegan mentioned their diet and lifestyle. Chances are the vegan only talked about their food once or twice - perhaps they declined a slice of turkey or asked if the potatoes had milk in them. Chances are the non-vegans gushed at length about the turkey, about how much they loved butter, and (if you have family members who hunt around this time of year like I do) possibly talked at length about their latest kill (or miss).
We are told that we talk about our veganism too much. But I think we don't talk about it enough. Obviously people who have blogs like this one (and many others which are much better and more informative than this one!) talk about it plenty, but most vegans I know seldom mention it to anyone at all because they are either tired of or scared of being bullied. But instead of hiding it we really need to talk about it more. We need to talk about it so much that it becomes normalized in our culture. We need to make it so that they are at least as many yellow flowers as there are blue ones!
I will never hide my veganism largely because I want my boyfriend and especially his male and male-identifying friends to feel comfortable telling their macho work buddies that they are vegan. I want them to be met with expressions of admiration rather than disgust. Or better yet, I want them to tell their workmates they are vegan, only to realize that their workmates are vegan too!
I will never hide my veganism because if I do it says to those non-vegans who are hateful (and I am certainly not saying that this is the case for all non-vegans) that I am ashamed of my choice. I am not ashamed to be vegan. I will not be scared into submission by your violence and your hateful words. I made a choice based in compassion, love, and respect for all living beings and the planet.
If you have faced this type of sexist, bigoted bullshit discrimination, please keep this in mind: In a world where homosexuals have fought tooth and nail for acceptance and equality "faggot" is not a convincing insult; being a faggot in our culture means that you have the courage and strength to be yourself. Remember also that the "Pussy" is a symbol of feminine strength. Pussies are capable of giving and receiving of pleasure. Pussies literally make the world go round! Pussies give birth to LIFE! If being vegan makes you a "faggot" or a "pussy", then wear those labels with pride my veggie friends.
In solidarity.
Happy Wednesday!
-J
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