Still don't want to vote?

I was reading a friend's Facebook comments recently about a man running for the state house in Michigan who removed her comments and blocked her from his Facebook page after she posted that she would not be voting for him. My first thought was "typical", and then I started really thinking about it.

This guy, who I also would not vote for if I still lived back in my hometown, could easily win. He may not support women, he may not support public schools, he may not support equality for gays and lesbians. He could support corporate and agricultural welfare, he could support allowing anyone to buy any type of gun from anyone else and he could support a myriad of other things that I might disagree with.

And he is just like someone running for political office where you live.

He is almost assured a victory.

Unless you vote.

There is a huge us vs. them battle going on these days. This is perpetuated by those in political power and those who want political power. And it's not just one party, it's members of both parties.

In many activist communities I have met people who do not vote. Amazing activists, incredibly passionate people. Yet they don't vote.

In November, there will be elections all over the country. New congressmen will be elected or re-elected, members of state houses will be elected, new school board members, etc. Whoever wins will represent you at the US Capitol, your state capitol and your county school board.

I write a lot about being a voice for the voiceless. This is another one of those opportunities. Check out the candidates in your area. Find out where they stand on issues important to you. Call them or email them. Even if you are in a supposed district where the winner is already known.

We have the power.

Vote.

Vote for the animals. Vote for equal rights. Vote to support equality for women. Vote to support nine year olds who are refugees on our border. Vote to speak out loudly for the voiceless.

Thanks for reading.

Humane slaughter?

NOTE: If you do not want to think about animals being killed for food you might not want to read this post.

Recently I saw a photo of an experiment that was testing how long a gas would take to kill chickens. I wont show the photo but I'm sure you can find it on Google.

It seems outrage against animal cruelty in the food industry has sparked interest in those who profit off of killing animals to see if they can do this without looking bad to consumers.

So have an animal. Let's say a pig. Typical, factory farm pig killing is not pretty. It's not something the pig wants to go through. I'm sure the pig would much rather go take a nap in some straw or go splash around in mud. Nonetheless here she is being hung up and slaughtered.

All so someone can have their bacon.

Again, if you want to see this process you can find it on Google.

I do not believe in humane slaughter. The bottom line for me is that if the animal had the opportunity to walk or run away from being killed, they would.

I became vegan because I wanted to do as little harm to all living beings as possible while going through this thing called life. I do not want to be the cause for the death or suffering of another being. I realized that I did not have to participate in the slaughter.

I see marketing words like "humane slaughter" and "humanely raised" all of the time these days. To me that's all they, marketing terms. There is no legal definition for what that means and in the end your humanely raised pig is going to be terrified as she is trucked off to be killed.

There are so many people who love animals but still eat them. They either don't want to think about what happens to them to get to their plate or they have simply decided that their taste buds are worth it. Or, they just don't know another way and really don't know how to begin a life that truly includes loving animals.

Just because we have always done something doesn't mean we have to continue to do it.

There are resources galore to help people who have decided they want to stop participating in the slaughter. The world is changing and vegetarianism is alive and well. And when I write the word vegetarianism I mean no meat and no meat by-product. There are communities all over the world that are there to support you!

Thanks for reading.

A follow up to "Vegans dating non-vegans?"

With almost two years of writing a blog. we have been able to create conversation about many things and engage people who want to be a voice for the voiceless.

No blog post has created as much conversation as the blog post we posted on April 13th titled "Vegans dating non-vegans?". We also posted another blog post soon after the dating post as we gathered more information on the meningitis killing gay men in NYC and West Hollywood. These posts brought us the highest readership in 24 hours, 980! Holy cow!

In regards to the dating post, we received so much feedback and so many stories shared that I just could not believe it!

First, thanks to all of you who shared what you would do, or are doing.

I wanted to write that blog post because I hear this topic talked about a lot. My experience and feelings about it are different than many, as Mike was not vegan when we met. This April 24th, his birthday, will be his 9 year anniversary of being vegan.

What I loved about many of the comments, posts and emails we received were that our readers have a strong opinion of which way they would go, yet felt that this was very personal. Many also said it was about overall compassion.

I'd also like to say that I do not buy people any type of animal product. If I am treating, the meal is vegan. I definitely get that part of the thought process, and in dating I would not be any different. I also wouldn't have meat prepared in my home at any time when I was dating.

It's not easy. I wanted to write that post because of the several times I had read posts from loving, beautiful people who were being challenged in dating a non-vegan. My thought isn't to break up, but to see where there are more things in common. Just like I say at many protests, we all have more in common than not.

For Mike, I was the first vegan he ever sat across the table from. He fell in love with me because of my compassion for all living beings (including humans) and my passion for living. He thought I was cute too!

So many, many thanks to all of you who read the post and who entered the conversation with us. We are totally grateful and even more so are grateful that you even read our blog!

Vegans dating non-vegans?

I was on Twitter today and read a tweet from a young woman who is vegan and is having challenges in her relationship with her boyfriend who is not vegan.

In the 17 years of being vegan I have heard this a lot, and have even heard that people who are vegan should not date people who are not vegan.

That is super crazy for me.

In the gay male world of Colorado there would have been slim pickings for dating if I had stuck to only men who were vegan. Fortunately for me I never asked guys if they were vegan before a date. I would have never dated and fallen in love with Mike had I chosen to only date vegan men.

I totally get the allure of dating only vegan people. It shows they are loving, compassionate and at least on some levels have something in common with you. The again, people choose to go vegan for many reasons. Mine was to do as least harm as possible while experiencing this thing we call life. I want no part in animal cruelty.

For Mike and I, we met at our church. Our first date was a movie, dinner and then dancing. For dinner we went to PF Changs and he ordered his first on-purpose vegan meal. He didn't really know what a vegan was before we started dating and was curious.

For me and dating it was always trying to be in the moment. Of course if it ever got to the point where I would live with somebody and they were not vegan I would have to ask for rules around no former living beings in the house. I never had to do that.

My ex became veg before we moved in together. Mike became vegan long before we even talked about living together or even getting married.

A little over a month after we began dating Mike became vegetarian for my Valentine's Day gift. He told me while we were on a sweet date night. He had not really eaten meat in front of me since we began dating, maybe once, but I don't remember it if he did.

So it boils down to mutual respect. If you know that eating meat bothers me, and you are interested in dating me, perhaps you won't eat meat in front of me. It's really not that big of a deal. Especially if you totally dig me!

Mike continued being a vegetarian for a couple of months. Then, in April, he became vegan as a birthday gift to himself. Not for me, for him and the animals.

There are many people out there who might be an amazing date/time/life partner for you. They may not have all of the information around animal cruelty that you do. They may have never had a conversation with someone about veganism or what veganism even is.

I say that if you are single and meet someone you think right off is pretty nice, go for it.

Respect. Love. Compassion. And of course passion! It all doesn't come instantly, but with the right person it comes.

Thank you so much for reading this! I would totally love your feedback!

Powerful words

We all have been there. Someone says something to us and it stings. Perhaps that was their intent, perhaps not. In this age of online communication it's difficult to figure out what someone "really meant" sometimes.

In many more cases, we can communicate face to face with individuals and have a little more power in how our conversation is received. Facial expression, hand gestures, whether we are smiling or not.

I wanted to write about the power of the spoken world because of a few conversations Mike and I have involved in, particularly in the vegan part of our community. It surprises me still that people will be on the verge of meeting us and will attempt to sum our entire existence up in a matter of minutes. We should do this. Have we thought of this? Why spend so much time on that? It's actually amazing that more often we find ourselves meeting people who really don't want to get to know us, or actually converse, yet want to immediately tell us what they think we should be doing.

I'm not sure if this is because we have this blog, because of our blog name, or because we try to be so open. The god thing is that we are not going anywhere. We are firmly and confidently rooted in the vegan community. What concerns me is how people who are just getting to know us as a community feel.

Are we a welcoming community? Or are we a judgmental community? I like to think that we are welcoming, that after all we represent the voices of the millions who cannot speak. We are their voice. Especially for those of us who are vegan for the animals.

Our blog is about building bridges, being a voice for the voiceless and spreading the message of love, compassion and equality. Those messages can easily get diluted if we spend more time talking or writing about what you should be doing than how we can all work together.

It's not always easy. The other day Mike and I just sat while someone we had just met shared their opinion. She didn't even know us!

And then there are the instances where we and our readers (I know this because of what our readers share with us) receive the wrath of people who don't want to open their minds or hearts to why we are vegan and how we believe in not wanting to harm any sentient being.

As I recently wrote to a reader, "it's important to not cross the line from being a queer vegan to becoming a queer vegan asshole while responding to hateful or disrespectful words".

Our words are powerful. In the same time frame that I am writing about I saw someone that has completely judged me for being gay. I don't want to be their best friend but I can approach them with kindness and say hi. I did. They smiled and engaged in conversation with me. They know that their judgment of gay people is unacceptable to me and that is what matters to me.

My goal is to use my spoken words to spread love, compassion and tolerance. To open minds. To be that voice for all of those sentient beings that suffer. I definitely do not want my words to harm others.

Thank you for reading. I really appreciate those who read our blog, support our blog and engage with us!

Action of the week - reach out

I am still unemployed (today is day 21) and have been able to take "me" time during my job search. By the way, I did receive an offer letter yesterday and am hoping to take this job after looking into the benefits.

Yesterday I went to the Max Fund, a local shelter here that Mike and I support and where I have been volunteering for 12 years. We have fostered a bunch of dogs from here and last Saturday swung by to check about fostering Chico, a one-eyed Pekingese mix who is 8 years old and they believe would be better off right now in foster.

I had time yesterday after a lunch appointment to go visit with Chico again. He is pretty snappy and I wanted to see if he acted any differently on a slower day at the shelter. His only interest in my was to try to bite me, not in a way to harm me as he doesn't bite down, he just snaps.

While visiting with Chico a gentleman came into the shelter asking if he could pick up some food for his dogs. I am not sure of his situation except that he is experiencing difficult times and was asking for dog food as he could not afford it.

I wanted to tell him that I would buy all the dog food he needed until his times got better, but the Max Fund employee said to him that he would go check to see what they had. The employee came back in less than five minutes with a couple of bags of dog food. I was ecstatic.

If you are still thinking about Chico, more to come on him. I am going back today to bring him home as a foster. And you know that means a Chico blog post soon!

Do you know anyone like the gentleman who came in to Max Fund? Would you reach out to them with some dog food or treats, or a pound of coffee? Perhaps a care package with some treats? Mike and I are financially good right now but the gifts people have given since I lost my job did more than give us something nice, they filled us with love and gratitude. That's the perfect gift!

I have been unemployed for 21 days and have been blown away by the love and support I have received from friends, family, colleagues and people I don't even know. My hope is that all of us can do this, reaching out to those who might be in need. When the economy went downhill I clearly remember shelters I volunteer at getting more and more filled with dogs and cats from families who could no longer afford their care because of loss of a job or home. What can all of us to to support those who aren't quite there yet, but are struggling to care for their beloved companion animals?

Today when I go to the Max Fund going to donate dog and cat food for families struggling. I don't know what else to do but will ask them. I'm not sure how many animal shelters or homeless shelters have options to support those struggling, but I am sure there is something all of us can do.

Will you join us and reach out to those in need?

Thank you for reading!

Friendlier places for vegans to eat

Mike and I celebrated New Year's Eve last night at our favorite restaurant, Linger. The four course meal was one of the best I have ever had. Everything that we love about this restaurant was shining bright last night.

Linger is not a vegan restaurant. It's not a vegetarian restaurant. They happen to have the best (in our opinion) vegan food around, and they know how to treat customers. The service we get has always been extraordinary. Amazing vegan food and friendly, hospitable service. No wonder it's our favorite.

The owner, chefs and staff at Linger get it. They love food and know that they can be even more successful if they create delicious food that everyone wants to eat. Their menu is filled with items that are marked vegan, gluten free and nut free. Vegan without gluten and soy, no problem.

We are thrilled to have a restaurant like Linger where we live. There are more and more places to eat where good to great vegan food is found, and it's because of people who eat vegan going out in the world and asking for good vegan food (in some cases demanding it!). It's not difficult. And boy have times changed.

In the seventeen years that I have been vegan what I can choose from to order anywhere has completely changed.

Restaurant owners who hear from vegans about adding even one or two vegan items to their menu and listen to the request typically benefit from what they add to the menu. If they create delicious vegan dishes, word gets out. When one vegan wants to do a food gathering, such as a celebration, they can bring a bunch of people to a vegan-friendly restaurant that they love.

Just today we had lunch at a place we had stopped going to because of inconsistencies with vegan food. We had had very nice conversations with management and changes took place. The staff knows what is vegan and what is not vegan.

It starts with friendly conversation and a desire to be able to eat out and enjoy a nice vegan meal. It becomes big change, and at its' essence becomes a voice for the voiceless.

The first step is that restaurant owners need to know us. They need to know who we are and why we're vegan, and why we want their place of business to have more vegan items.

The restaurant business is not easy. Having friendly customers who want to make their business even better makes for a great day for the owner.

Try it. In the end you may just have more delish vegan choices the next time you go out to eat!

What we do to animals

I have been vegan for sixteen years and an animal lover my entire life. Growing up, we always had one dog and usually a handful of rabbits or guinea pigs. The day I (a sophomore in high school) buried my guinea pig Rusty in the backyard was one of the most heart-wrenching days in my life at the time.

I became vegan for animal reasons. As in I do not want to harm animals. The bigger picture is that I want to do as little harm to any living being as long as I am on this earth. From mice to whales to humans.

Now at 46 (well 46 1/2 as you know from a couple of blog posts ago!) I am even more stoked to be vegan for the health benefits. But back in the day, the only reason I became vegan was because I did not want to be part of the cruelty that inevitably happens for any animal to become my meal. This is still the driving force for my veganism.

I am still blown away when I catch news of the horrific things we as a human race do to animals, whether it is to celebrate a Saint, promote a religion, support a long term cultural deal, entertainment of any kind, or simply because we can.

A few minutes on my Facebook page or reading news blasts from around the country reminds me that not everyone believes about animals as I do.

Many times I just shake my head. How can anyone do anything like that to another living being. It's worse when one is clear that their action is creating great pain to that animal. Of course I realize that this is the reason for some people to cruelly torture an animal. Others simply pay another human being to inflict the cruelty and they don't partake until the former living being is presented all pretty at a restaurant or all wrapped in shiny plastic at the grocery store.

If there was a poll done I would bet that over 90% of people in the US believe that cruelty to animals is wrong.

Yet the cruelty continues. In all parts of our country, in communities big and small, gay and straight, rich and poor. The only thing that will stop the cruelty is us.

Going vegan is the best way. Knowing that we are all on our own path there are other ways to start. Vegetarianism, speaking out against cruelty in entertainment, promoting spay and neuter in your community, and the list could go on and on.

Yet for me, being vegan is the key to a life that simply does not accept the incredibly horrible way our society treats animals.

Thank you so much for reading!

Building bridges

Whew! What a week this has been.

Summer is coming to an end which I know because my teacher husband went back to the classroom this week, with students returning this coming week. The dogs are already missing having him around all day. At my day job I am counting down the 1/2 day Fridays we have left, only two more! This is one of my favorite benefits at my job, being able to leave every Friday during the summer at noon.

Meanwhile, I have just realized that my blog posting has taken a hit and I have suddenly reverted to just one post a week. My goal has been to write two posts a week, and I will do my best to get back to that. While thinking this morning of this blog, I decided that I want to bring up a topic that comes to mind on a daily basis.

Bridge building.

As in building bridges between communities, between individuals, between those who might disagree on one point and those who might be in disagreement over several points. This whole blog is all about bridge building and supporting those out there doing the building!

This weeks example is an activist friend who wants to support one community's fundraiser but because the fundraiser is a cookout with a very small choice for vegans she has concerns about attending. In this social media world the discussion has become negative on Facebook. After asking for my thoughts when she received a not-so-nice (and personally attacking/judgement) note from someone who disagreed with her, I responded with this:

I am so sorry to hear this. My first reaction is to tell you that I adore you. My second is, welcome to our lives! Mike and I get a lot of this with our blog. The first thing I remind folks is that they do not know me. They only know what I posted. The second is that I will always be an unapologetic voice for the voiceless, all of the voiceless. I am not going to be quiet just because my voice does not equate to someone elses vision of liberation or equality. I must always do this in a loving way, and it is even more vital on FB where many people see and may only read snippets of what is going on.

If I were involved in this I would write a loving/compassionate note to whoever is in charge of organizing this event simply asking that they offer more vegan items so you can not only go, but feel good in inviting others to go and support them.

Sending you lots of love. Dan

My experience here is to see how I can lovingly support a group whose mission I strongly believe in and at the same time be a voice for the voiceless. 

It's not always easy, simple or fun. And please know that I am not trying to simplify what can be a very difficult experience. I am only trying my best to be a loving example of a voice for the voiceless.

Thank you so much for reading. I would love you feedback. You can leave a comment or email me at vegandude@msn.com

Our vegan business

Long before The Gay Vegans blog, Mike and I created our vegan business, Cruelty-Free World. We did this as a result of always having to buy vegan products, like belts or bags, online. Our goal was to show people that they could purchase awesome bags, belts, wallets and purses without harm to animals or humans (everything we sell is sweatshop free too) as well as offer the same products in their own community.

We decided that we didn't want a bricks and mortar place, but instead would go to festivals and farmers markets and sell our vegan products. We connected with companies already making amazing vegan products, like Splaff, Hempys and Queen Bee, ordered our favorite vegan cookbooks, bought a tent, and in May of 2006 did our first festival.

Our second goal became to raise money for animal rights and human rights groups. Cruelty-Free World generates direct support for groups making the world a better place for all living beings as we donate 100% of the profit from Cruelty-Free World to non-profits. Yep, 100%.

The best thing about all of this is that we have a blast, and we get to meet so many wonderful people that we might not have met had we not done this. We also get to talk with people about veganism, why we are vegan, and about the groups we support. Cruelty-Free World has become a wonderful way for us to introduce veganism to thousands. I love talking about my favorite vegan recipe or the latest amazing vegan meal we had at a local restaurant. The one on one conversations with people brings a lot of fun for us.

I love watching Mike talk about one of the cookbooks we sell, surrounded by folks who have never bought a vegan cookbook, with all of them getting more and more excited. We also pass out free PCRM veg starter kits, but if we can sell someone a vegan cookbook, there is a great chance that they will go home and experience for themselves how good vegan food is and how easy it is to prepare.

Recently we have been at the Neat Markets here in Denver, a monthly vegan pop-up shop. Our next festival is the annual Boulder Creek Festival coming up on Memorial Day weekend in Boulder, CO. If you're around that weekend come and say hi.

Thanks for reading!

Set up a library display!

I am at our local library having just set up our vegan display. I wanted to share this with all of our readers as this is a wonderful way to promote your activism regardless of the cause. Our local library has let us set up a vegetarian/vegan display three times now, and each time prior to this they have gotten incredible feedback. Last time we did this they set up an assortment of veg and vegan cookbooks and they couldn't keep up with the demand to check them out!

I love our local library and come here often. I frequently check in with them to see when I can get on the list for the display. I'm not sure what the policies are where you live, but here in Jefferson County, Colorado, one basically just needs to sign up on the list. Displays are on a monthly basis so once you sign up you just wait until your month comes and then arrive the first day of that month to set up your display.

For our displays we have used vegan food item boxes to promote the wide variety of vegan foods. This time I just set up the display with several vegan cookbooks, veg starter kits from PCRM and Vegan Outreach, and a couple of tshirts from PETA and Mercy For Animals. I like to keep the display simple and with plenty of room around the items in the display so folks can easily read the information and book titles. If you have a local event coming up and have a card or flyer to promote it, I highly suggest adding that. With Veg Fest Colorado coming up later this year I also added their postcard to our display so people can learn about that event.

Setting up a library display is such a great way to promote and educate around what is important to you. Hundreds of people a day will see this display and if our past history maintains, many of those will check out a veg cookbook. And it barely takes any time at all to plan it and set it up.

Please let us know if you set up a library display. We'd love to hear all about it!

Thanks for reading!

Cooking at home

We know several people who have decided to explore veganism in 2012 and we want to support them as much as possible. One of the ways we promote veganism is by feeding people amazing vegan food. Many people who are not vegan yet are completely surprised by how delish "our" food is.

One doesn't need to be a chef to create a simple, scrumptious vegan meal. There are many, many vegan recipes out there, and to find some amazing ones just click onto one of the links we have here and check out some of the bloggers we adore who blog about cooking and post recipes. You'll go from WOW to YUM in a matter of minutes as you create their recipes.

I am a great example of one who thought cooking vegan would be tough, but love it. Mike does most of the cooking so me warming up leftovers from his creations is easy. Yet I am pretty good in the kitchen too. One of my favorites is cooking up some fresh kale or swiss chard. It is this easy: heat up a little olive oil in a cast iron skillet. Chop up the kale or swiss chard and add it to the heating olive oil. Add a tiny bit of salt and a nice amount of cayenne pepper and boom, there it is. This is more of a side dish but if you add your favorite bean and maybe some beets it can become a full meal.

We use the cast iron skillet a lot. It's a great tool for cooking.

Another easy dish is a simple scrambled tofu. Most vegan cookbooks have a recipe and they are simple. I love making this on a Sunday morning, just add toast with my favorite mango pepper jam! Scrambled tofu is just firm or extra firm tofu crumbled up in your perfect cast iron skillet with a little olive oil, some onions (I usually saute the onions first, then add the tofu), nutritional yeast, tumeric, some kale or swiss chard, a tiny bit of salt, some pepper and you are on your way. When I want to be decadent I add Daiya cheese. Mmmmm.

Cooking at home is so much fun. I love cooking with Mike. It adds to a perfect date night. And each time you make something you can change the recipe a bit and begin creating a whole new dish.

Try it out and let us know what you made. And we'd love to hear about your favorite vegan recipe. Finally, don't forget to check out some of the vegan cooking blogs linked from our site.

Thank you for reading!

Thanks for an amazing year from The Gay Vegans!

I first came up with the idea of this blog as we were heading to Florida to visit Mike's mom and posted about it on my fundraising blog. Fundraising is my profession and I've been blogging about it for years. I then decided that I wanted to keep that blog specific to fundraising, and since I refer to Mike and I as The Gay Vegans a lot, decided to create The Gay Vegans blog.

I had no clue.

I had no clue that we would meet so many wonderful, compassionate, loving people because of this blog.

I had no clue that we would be able to promote Meatless Mondays and support over 1500 people in going meatless for one day, many of whom have continued going meatless one day or more a week. A couple have since gone vegan!

I had no clue that we would be able to build bridges between vegans unfriendly towards gay people and gay people unfriendly towards vegans.

I had no clue that there were so many other gay vegans!

Although I did know there were a ton of activists all over working to be a voice for the voiceless, I didn't realize how much love there is out there. We as activists have to support each other. Together we are a much stronger voice for the voiceless.

This list could go on and on. What I want to say is thank you to all of you. Thanks for reading our blog. Thanks for taking action. Thanks for spreading our Meatless Monday messages. Thanks for asking friends and relatives to donate to an animal group or HIV/AIDS group rather than buying you a gift. Thanks for the reposts and retweets. Thanks for speaking out against cruelty, torture, and intolerance. As I write many times, thanks for being a voice for the voiceless. All of the voiceless.

Your support means the world to us!

We are beyond grateful.

And we look forward to 2012 with all of you!

Happy New Year!

Beyond grateful!

After blogging about Thanksgiving Day and then about giving to charities, I thought it would be appropriate to write about how I am just filled with gratitude.

I write this blog with a heavy heart, as Mike and I prepare to make end of life decisions for our 18 year old companion dog Shadow.

And yet that's a huge part of what I am truly grateful for, my family.

I have no clue what I have ever done to deserve the life I have or the family I have.

Mike is truly the love of my life. Being married to him is such an amazing gift. And the family we have created, with Rock, Miguel, Suga, Shadow, and Monty, is just so big and wonderful and loving that I can't help to be grateful for it every day.

And beyond our home we have wonderful family as well as our incredible family of choice, many of whom will be sitting around the Thanksgiving dinner table with us this week.

I am grateful for all those who on a daily basis act to make the world a better place for all living beings. Even when it is not easy. Or popular. Or safe. These people are my heroes.

I am grateful to be sober. That's a whole other blog post!

I am grateful for my community, for all those who love and support me, who teach me, who walk this amazing path with me.

I am grateful to have an incredible job that I love.

There is so much more, but I imagine you get the idea.

Yet before I finish, I have to mention that I am beyond grateful for all of those folks who take time to read this blog and for those who write such beautiful things to me about the blog. Yesterday we got a note that said that we are such an inspiration. Wow.

Thanks for reading!