Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Happy Pride! Joining us on this special Pride episode is Honey LaBronx, The Vegan Drag Queen. Honey stared in her own YouTube vegan cooking series and traveled the world with her one-woman drag show, raising funds for local LGBTQ and animal organizations along the way. She is committed to bringing discussions about animal rights, racism, and social justice to new audiences. In 2011, she was one of eight activists arrested for blocking New York City traffic while demonstrating for marriage equality alongside her drag mother, Bob The Drag Queen (winner of Season 8 of RuPaul’s Drag Race). Out of drag, Ben Strothmann is an actor, singer, playwright, and theatrical photographer, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Hope and Honey cover an assortment of fascinating topics– how her sobriety journey led her to veganism, why she chose her drag name, how fat is beautiful, and embracing radical compassion. Honey also talks about the challenges within the gay and drag community with emboldened conservatives supporting legislation, violence, and oppression against the LGBT community. Hope and Honey laugh, lament, theorize, and bring a little joy to us all.

Resources:

@HoneyLaBronx

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HoneyLaBronx

Video: Rachel Wiley, The Fat Joke

Thank you for your support!

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Connecting veganism to other justice causes is critical to our success and our guest today recognized this at a very young age. Zane McNeill (they/him) is a scholar-activist, chair of the National Lawyers Guild’s Animal Liberation Committee, and was the co-manager of the collective Right for Animal Rights Activists. They have worked closely with the Institute of Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and have published chapters in ICAS collections, including Vegans on Speciesism and Ableism: Ecoability Voices for Disability and Animal Justice and Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays on Solidarity and Total Liberation. They have also edited Queer and Trans Voices: Achieving Liberation Through Consistent Anti-Oppression, Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism, and Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights (forthcoming, Peter Lang Publishing).

Zane will help us to unpack new terms like “consistent anti-oppression” and “total liberation” as well as “carceral veganism” where animal activists align with agencies to criminalize and deport people in marginalized communities of color when we should be targeting the system of oppression itself. They discuss the parallels of body autonomy issues for humans and non-humans. Zane addresses everything from micro aggressions experienced by animal activists within the movement to larger, structural issues of oppression. Join us for this important discussion.

Resources: 

Zane’s Book Vegan Entanglements

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Compassionate Living’s YouTube Page

On this episode we are talking about an issue that affects so many, but is rarely talked about—discrimination because of the size of our bodies. Britty Mann joins us to break it down. Britty is the Founder and Executive Director of Planted Society, a U.S. nonprofit that makes plant-based eating more accessible to ensure a better future for the planet and all living beings. With over 15 years of experience in supply chain and community advocacy, Britty believes that we all have the capacity to help change the global food system, starting by fostering relationships with our own bodies and enacting change in our local communities.

Bitty shares with Hope her thoughts on fat bias in the animal and vegan advocacy movement and how certain campaigns and protocol can be exclusionary and hurtful. She talks about the concept of “healthism” and how it affects the experience and contribution of larger bodied people in the vegan movement.

Resources:

Ending Anti-Fat Bias Resources and References

Episode 24: Fat Justice and Veganism with Andy Tabar

Planted Society

Learn More and Support this Podcast:

Compassionate Living

Hope for the Animals Podcast

Naijha Wright-Brown is the Executive Director of the Black Veg Society, a 501c3 non-profit organization that educates predominantly Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities on the benefits of holistic living, the plant-based diet, and veganism.  She is also the co-creator of Vegan Soulfest and Maryland Vegan Restaurant Month. Naijha shares her journey creating a soul food restaurant called The Land of Kush as well as an incredibly successful Black-focused vegan festival all while running the Black Veg Society. Naijha is on a mission to help people find their vegan soul!

Resources:

Naijha Speaks- YouTube

Black Veg Society

Vegan SoulFest– August 19 & 20, 2023

About the Egyptian Kingdom of Kush

Soul of Ahimsa: Vegan Spiritualty Retreat in NY

Elly Nakajima is the founder and director of Animal Alliance Asia – a movement building organization dedicated to empowering and training animal justice activists across Asia. Born in Japan and currently based in the UK, Elly is passionate about building a more inclusive, culturally relevant, and effective movement across Asia. She was one of the first Japanese language educational content providers for vegan advocates in Japan.

Hope and Elly discuss the need for vegan advocacy to adapt and change for different cultures and different audiences in Asia. Elly explains why truly local leadership across Asia is critical for the ideas of veganism and animal rights to thrive. Elly is on a mission to empower woman and people of the global majority to embrace leadership roles in animal rights and to feel confident advocating for animals in their countries and regions.

Resources:

Animal Alliance Asia

DONATE TO COMPASIONTE LIVING’S MACTHING CAMPAIGN

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! We are celebrating Pride today with two amazing people, Mckenzee Griffler and Pax Ahimsa Gethen. Mckenzee holds a certification in Animal Sanctuary Management and is the Executive Director at the Open Sanctuary Project. Mckenzee is a trans woman and shares with us some basics of trans etiquette, unpacks some of the most pressing issues facing the trans community, and conveys why respecting and supporting trans people and trans kids saves lives. Pax Ahimsa Gethen is a blogger, photographer, Wikipedia editor, and long-time vegan. Pax shares their thoughts on the connection of being trans and being vegan, some San Francisco trans history, proposing gun abolition, and the story of their connection with a neurodivergent alpaca at VINE animal sanctuary.

Resources from Mckenzee (she/her/hers):

Podcasts:
Gender Reveal
TransLash Podcast
The Anti-Trans Hate Machine

Websites:

Them.us

https://genderdysphoria.fyi/
SingularThey.info
State Action Center – National Center For Trans Equality

Books:

A Quick & Easy Guide To Queer and Trans Identities
A Quick & Easy Guide To They Them Pronouns
Queer: A Graphic History
A Queer History Of The United States

Orgs:
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Trans Lifeline
The Trevor Project
The National Center For Trans Equality
ACLU

Resources from Pax (they/them/their):

Website:

http://funcrunch.org

Blog Posts:

Dare to disarm

Resistance to going vegan – excuses and responses

The Transgender District: https://www.transgenderdistrictsf.com/

Office of Transgender Initiatives: https://sf.gov/transcitysf

Compton Cafeteria Riots: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/21/stonewall-san-francisco-riot-tenderloin-neighborhood-trans-women

The amazing and fabulous Jasmin Singer is a worldwide leading expert on veganism, the co-host of the long-running Our Hen House podcast, a longtime contributor to VegNews magazine as well as the author and editor of numerous books. Hope and Jasmin had a ton of fun covering a lot of territory starting with reminiscing about being vegan in the 90s, Jasmin’s journey writing her memoir, and her evolution coming from the LGBTQ movement into the animal rights space and how that overlaps and connects. They talk the groundbreaking anthology that Jasmin recently edited about anti-racism in the animal rights movement, they discuss thin privilege and discrimination against larger bodied people and how that manifests in the vegan community, as well as the adventure of making her new home in upper state New York net zero.

Resources:

Website: https://jasminsinger.com

Blog: Jasmin’s Jargon

Podcast: Our Hen House 

Books: The VegNews Guide to Being a Fabulous Vegan,

Always Too Much and Never Enough: A Memoir 

Anthology: Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation

Episode 24: Fat Justice and Veganism with Andy Tabar

What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gorden

Hope starts us off with some news on a case of blatant greenwashing from a long-time vegan company that has sparked a Compassionate Living Campaign. Then we are honored to have vegan and human rights activist Christopher Soul Eubanks on the podcast. Soul is a climate, human, and animal rights activist in Atlanta, Georgia and has dedicated himself to doing advocacy work that combats all forms of injustice. After becoming vegan, Soul helped co-organize Atlanta’s first ever animal rights march, started a YouTube channel, and is a contributing author to two anthologies. He is also contributing a chapter to Hope’s upcoming Humane Hoax anthology that will be published early next year by Lantern Publishing and Media. Hope and Soul talk about the importance of shifting animal advocacy to one of inclusion with a broader perspective for more effective activism. They discuss Soul’s new non-profit, APEX Advocacy, the term People of the Global Majority, delicious vegan southern-style food, and how animal rights can help achieve collective liberation for all.

Resources:

APEX Advocacy

Soul’s YouTube Channel

Black Vegan Everything

Boycott Comic Bliss Ice Cream Campaign and please sign the Petition

We begin todays show with another Glimmers of Hope Segment where Hope shares some good news stories for animals from around the world. Then we are joined by Dr. Leila Dehghan. Leila is a medical doctor turned plant-based nutritionist. After transitioning to a whole food, plant-based lifestyle, she earned a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate and obtained a Master’s of Science in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition. Her focus is to find effective ways to address racial and socio-economic issues that affect health. Her project “Athletes, Food & Diversity” seeks to introduce a plant-based diet to people of the global majority (a new term coined to refer to Black, Indigenous and people of color). Leila talks to Hope about racism’s negative effect on health, the importance of creating inclusive content in the vegan movement, and veganism as a social justice issue.

Resources:

Athletes, Food & Diversity

Facebook: Dr Leila D.- Plant-Powered Qi Nutrition

Instagram: @plantpowered_qi_nutrition

Website: drleilad.com

Leila recommends this important article from Sentient Media

Book from Encompass: Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation

On this episode, Andy Tabar joins us again to have a conversation with Hope about effective online communication for vegans and animal advocates. Andy was the co-host of much beloved and missed The Bearded Vegans, a podcast that was dedicated to discussing the ethical grey areas of living a vegan life. Andy is also the owner of Compassion Co, an organic, USA made clothing line.  Hope and Andy discuss online trolls, self-confirmation bias and the backfire effect, the detriment of misanthropy, and the importance of being culturally and racially sensitive. They offer tips and suggestions for making your social media experience the most positive and effective it can be.

Resources:

The Bearded Vegans Podcast

Compassion Co

Episode 24: Fat Justice and Veganism with Andy Tabar

The Social Dilemma (film)

Coded Bias (film)

Today on the podcast, we are joined by Gwenna Hunter. Gwenna is the creator of Vegans of LA and Vegans for Black Lives Matter. She also manages several vegan food aid programs that provide local communities in Los Angeles with nutritional support. Gwenna shares with us the growing awareness of veganism in the Black community, her work bringing vegan food to marginalized communities, and her spiritual receptiveness that led her to have a powerful lucid dream of becoming one with a cow. Join us for this important discussion on evolving our activism to include equity and compassion for everyone.

Resources:

Plant Based Briefing Podcast

Vegans for Black Lives Matter

Vegans of LA

Compassion Consortium

In the latest episode of the Hope for the Animals Podcast, we have Andy Tabar joining us to talk about anti-fat biases and veganism. Andy is the co-host of The Bearded Vegans, a podcast in its fifth year dedicated to discussing the ethical grey areas of living a vegan life. Andy is also the owner of Compassion Co, an organic, made in the USA clothing line.  In Episode 24, Andy educates us about the prevalence of fat phobia in the vegan community and why not addressing it harms activists and hinders animal liberation. He shares how we can support body diversity and fat justice so all are welcome in the vegan space. 

Resources:

The Bearded Vegans Podcast

Compassion Co Clothing

Chelsea Lincoln on Instagram: @FatVeganVoice

Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia, by Sabrina Strings

Aubrey Gordon-

Instagram: @YRFatFriend

Book: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat

Podcast: Maintenance Phase

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 24

In recognition of Black History Month, we have some recommendations of awesome activists and platforms to check out and then an enlightening interview with the Managing Director of Encompass, Michelle Rojas-Soto. Encompass is a non-profit fostering racial equity in animal advocacy. Their mission is to help make the farmed animal protection movement more effective by fostering racial diversity, equity, and inclusion. Michelle guides us into the worldview of anti-oppression work for humans and non-human animals simultaneously. She also explains the importance of evolving language and of using the term “global majority” instead of people of color.

Join us in helping advance 21st century activism that brings systematic oppressions together and recognizes the vital connections between justice issues.

Resources:

Encompass

Encompass Webinar

Vegans Against All Oppressions

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 20

Hope starts us off today with a discussion about language. Our use of language shapes how we perceive the world. Our language around animals is especially important because it can influence how society thinks and feels about animals. Hope offers some suggestions for changing and improving our language to help people see animals as individuals. To recognize them beyond mere property, and see animals as sentient beings deserving of our protection and respect.

Next on the podcast we have the fun and fabulous, Jasmine Leyva. Jasmine is an actress and filmmaker who created the documentary The Invisible Vegan. This 90-minute independent documentary brings to light the health and wellness possibilities for the African-American community with a plant-based vegan diet and lifestyle. The Invisible Vegan offers both historical and contemporary perspectives on dietary trends among African-Americans. Hope and Jasmine talk about the importance of supporting vegan voices from black communities and all communities of color to help create the diverse, compassionate, interconnected vegan world we all want to see. 

Resources and Links:

Understanding Euthanasia: When Life and Words Become Worthless by Karen Davis

Watch The Invisible Vegan on:

Amazon Prime (Free with Prime subscription)

Tubi TV (Free)

KweliTV (Black female owned streaming service)

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 12

On todays podcast, we have another installment of Glimmers of Hope. In this recurring segment, Hope shares positive stories about animals from around the globe. The Glimmers of Hope segment features good news for animals that you might have missed with so many other news stories dominating 2020. We can use a little good news in these challenging times so we hope you enjoy Glimmers of Hope!

Next we have an interesting interview with Food Empowerment Project’s lauren Ornelas. lauren talks about her three decades of dedicated activism for animals. She founded the Food Empowerment Project in 2006 to bridge food justice issues by exposing injustices in our food system for humans and nonhuman animals. In this podcast, we hear about her undercover investigations of animal agriculture in the 1990s and her more recent work exposing food deserts in vulnerable communities. Hope and lauren also discuss vegan food accessibility, child slave labor in the chocolate industry, and much more. 

Join us for this informative and important interview with one of the most powerful voices in the animal rights movement today.

Resources and Links:

www.FoodIsPower.org

www.VeganMexicanFood.com

www.VeganFilipinoFood.com

lauren’s TED Talk

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 11

On this episode we talk with Connie Spence, an outspoken vegan and anti-oppression activist whose work addresses a range of justice issues. In this podcast we will discuss using creative tactics in vegan activism, systemic racism in the food system, and unjust farm subsidies. Connie Spence is the founder of Vegan Justice League and the Agriculture Fairness Alliance. The Vegan Justice League educates vegan advocates about the issue of farm subsidies, and the Agricultural Fairness Alliance is a federal lobbying group influencing legislation to bring fairness back to farm policy by ending subsidies and bailouts.

Connie has utilized creative tactics in her vegan activism. Using a large stage light, Connie has projected vegan messages onto buildings that could be seen from half a mile away. These seven-story tall projections have been shown in diverse locations such as on the Staples Center, on Las Vegas hotels, on freeways in Los Angeles, and many other prominent locations. Now, through her two sister organizations, she is dedicated to educating the community about how the food system is monopolized and rigged by livestock farmers and what we need to do to solve it. Agriculture Fairness Alliance is sponsoring federal legislation that will divert subsidies to programs that help struggling animal farmers transition to sustainable, plant-based, cruelty-free farming.  Learn more about how to support this legislation here.

Suggested Reading:

Meatonomics by David Robinson Simon

Stop Comparing Black Lives Matter to Animal Rights by Summer Anne Burton

Attention White Animal Rights Activists by Marla Rose

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 4