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!
Zuma beach.
Monday, April 15, 2013
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Bacterial meningitis killing gay men
I just read a story about a gay man in West Hollywood, CA who contracted meningitis and is now brain dead. He was fine one day, then became ill, hospitalized and now will most likely die.
I have read similar stories about gay men in New York City, as recent as last week. After looking up some information, seven gay men have died of meningitis since 2010. There are 13 reported cases of meningitis just this year in New York City. There seems to be an out break right now.
There is a vaccine.
"Although the vaccine can help prevent the disease, it is not used to treat it. Even if diagnosed early and treated with antibiotics, the disease can still sometimes cause permanent brain damage, hearing loss, kidney failure or even death." From an article in the San Francisco Chronicle.
I am not a doctor. And I am just learning. But I feel I need to do my part as a gay blogger to get this word out.
If you are sexually active and not in a monogamous relationship, please read more about this and consider getting the vaccine. The vaccine is 80-90% effective and in most cases one dose works. Those with HIV and some others may need two doses, over a period of a couple of months.
From what I have read, this can be spread through sex or even kissing.
In New York City, the city's health officials recently put out a warning. They have urged men who "regularly have intimate contact with other men" to get vaccinated for meningitis.
This brings back memories of the 1980's to me. The difference is that for the cases reported, the cause of death is known. And most importantly, there is a vaccine.
This may just be a small outbreak. The fact that deaths have now occurred in areas with big gay male populations may or may not end up being very relevant. Yet, I just had to write about this.
Again, no medical background. All I have presented here came from reading articles online for the past hour or so. We must get the word out.
Please spread the word.
Thank you for reading!
I have read similar stories about gay men in New York City, as recent as last week. After looking up some information, seven gay men have died of meningitis since 2010. There are 13 reported cases of meningitis just this year in New York City. There seems to be an out break right now.
There is a vaccine.
"Although the vaccine can help prevent the disease, it is not used to treat it. Even if diagnosed early and treated with antibiotics, the disease can still sometimes cause permanent brain damage, hearing loss, kidney failure or even death." From an article in the San Francisco Chronicle.
I am not a doctor. And I am just learning. But I feel I need to do my part as a gay blogger to get this word out.
If you are sexually active and not in a monogamous relationship, please read more about this and consider getting the vaccine. The vaccine is 80-90% effective and in most cases one dose works. Those with HIV and some others may need two doses, over a period of a couple of months.
From what I have read, this can be spread through sex or even kissing.
In New York City, the city's health officials recently put out a warning. They have urged men who "regularly have intimate contact with other men" to get vaccinated for meningitis.
This brings back memories of the 1980's to me. The difference is that for the cases reported, the cause of death is known. And most importantly, there is a vaccine.
This may just be a small outbreak. The fact that deaths have now occurred in areas with big gay male populations may or may not end up being very relevant. Yet, I just had to write about this.
Again, no medical background. All I have presented here came from reading articles online for the past hour or so. We must get the word out.
Please spread the word.
Thank you for reading!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
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!
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!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Rutgers and animal rights - stopping cowards
For those of you who read my posts about the Rutgers basketball coach this week, calling for him to be fired, you might have been surprised to read about sports in one of my blog posts. With such violence and anti-gay slurs coming from a person in power, I felt I had to write about it.
But what we saw in the videos from Rutgers we have seen before.
If, like us, you support all of the groups out there who do undercover work to give animals in factory farms and in labs a voice, the actions and abuse of power coming from a coward is nothing new.
Recently Mercy for Animals has made headlines with their undercover work. I decided not to show a video (Mercy For Animals is linked on our main page if you'd like to take a look). Their videos have a lot in common with the Rutgers video: people in power doing unspeakable things to those they are charged to care for. In the MFA videos we see, time after time, terrified animals being kicked, thrown, tortured and sometimes killed. By cowards.
In some stats, legislators are talking about passing bills to stop undercover investigations. In Iowa this is now law. These so called "ag gag" bills are meant to keep people who care about animals away, to keep profit up, and to be able to treat their product as they see fit.
I think "ag gag" is going easy on them. I prefer calling them "coward protection" laws.
Whether it is a group of factory farm workers beating a piglet with a shovel, teens bulling a perceived gay student or a basketball coach who makes $700,000 a year to perpetrate violence and fear on young players, cowards exist among us.
They can be stopped, which is why I felt the need to write about the Rutgers coach. He was fired. And then the athletic director resigned.
We have the power to be a voice for the voiceless and we have the power to stop these cowards.
Sometimes I may sound like a broken record when I write about getting involved, in connecting with your state legislator, in writing a letter to the editor or visiting your local chief of police.
These actions make a huge difference to those affected by the cowards.
Our silence strengthens the cowards. Our voices and actions can stop the cowards.
Thank you for reading!
But what we saw in the videos from Rutgers we have seen before.
If, like us, you support all of the groups out there who do undercover work to give animals in factory farms and in labs a voice, the actions and abuse of power coming from a coward is nothing new.
Recently Mercy for Animals has made headlines with their undercover work. I decided not to show a video (Mercy For Animals is linked on our main page if you'd like to take a look). Their videos have a lot in common with the Rutgers video: people in power doing unspeakable things to those they are charged to care for. In the MFA videos we see, time after time, terrified animals being kicked, thrown, tortured and sometimes killed. By cowards.
In some stats, legislators are talking about passing bills to stop undercover investigations. In Iowa this is now law. These so called "ag gag" bills are meant to keep people who care about animals away, to keep profit up, and to be able to treat their product as they see fit.
I think "ag gag" is going easy on them. I prefer calling them "coward protection" laws.
Whether it is a group of factory farm workers beating a piglet with a shovel, teens bulling a perceived gay student or a basketball coach who makes $700,000 a year to perpetrate violence and fear on young players, cowards exist among us.
They can be stopped, which is why I felt the need to write about the Rutgers coach. He was fired. And then the athletic director resigned.
We have the power to be a voice for the voiceless and we have the power to stop these cowards.
Sometimes I may sound like a broken record when I write about getting involved, in connecting with your state legislator, in writing a letter to the editor or visiting your local chief of police.
These actions make a huge difference to those affected by the cowards.
Our silence strengthens the cowards. Our voices and actions can stop the cowards.
Thank you for reading!
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