Our site has moved

Hi everyone!

Just a reminder that my blog is now here.

Join us!

Thank you!

Our new website is live!!!

I am ecstatic to let you know that our new blog site is live!

Check us out at: The Gay Vegans

It has been a long time coming. I would love your feedback.

The first post is titled "Suga lived", in memory of our sweet Suga who passed away on May 2nd.

Thank you for your support!

Purely vegan

One of the many things we love about living in Los Angeles is the incredible vegan food scene.

We knew about many of the amazing vegan establishments before moving here, yet I don't think we had a grasp on how far-stretching the food scene was, and how we would just love being right in the middle of it.

We have literally had dozens, if not over 100, vegan meals in a restaurant or at a food truck since moving here last July.

I bring all of this up as recently in LA there has been news that the owners of some of the more popular vegan restaurants here have decided to slaughter animals at their farm and to sell the animal flesh.

I am definitely disappointed.

I have believed for a long time that if a person decides to become vegan for animal rights/animal cruelty issues, they will most likely always be vegan. I personally can never imagine not being vegan.

I don't expect every vegan I know or hear of to always be vegan.

I digress. I call myself vegan. I'm not sure I am purely vegan, or a pure vegan. I suppose these terms mean different things to different people. I have not purposefully consumed animal products in over 20 years.

There is a lot to think about in regards to whether or not I continue to eat at their establishments.  Their chefs, especially those at Gracias Madre, do an impeccable job at showing the world how delicious vegan food is, and that makes a difference to me as someone who fights for the voiceless animals.

What I keep coming back to while paying attention to this news are the vegan places I love that are vegan because of the animals, because of compassion. First on the list are my friends at One Veg World in Pasadena. Compassion hits you like a loving embrace when you walk in, and it continues through their wonderful staff sharing and preparing incredible vegan food. I am grateful for places like One Veg World that add so much to my life.

I was at One Veg World today and will be back soon.

I also have  a few places we have found in LA that are not entirely vegan but do have amazing vegan dishes. I will continue to go dine with them too. As some in the discussion of the recent news have pointed out, and I understand, restaurants like these have never purported to be vegan or having a food vision based on compassion or animal rights.

More to come on this.

Thanks for reading.

1 in 5 children in LA County live in poverty

This is a series of several blog posts I am writing regarding poverty.

There is no where better to start than right here where we live.

When we moved to Los Angeles in July of 2015 I took my time looking for a job and in August landed the perfect one. My past job in Denver was fundraising for an agency that serves youth experiencing homelessness and this new one is fundraising for an agency that serves neglected and abused children in the LA County foster care system.

I immediately jumped into learning about the children my new agency serves and the numbers are stark. One word that came up right away was the word poverty.

1 in 5 children in LA County live in poverty. This number blows my mind. No matter what type of activism you are involved with, this crazy poverty rate affects you. From hunger to homelessness to violence to liberation and economic inequality, it's even more difficult to find even a small success when poverty, and in many cases extreme poverty, is part of the problem.

Welcome to this journey into exploring poverty. I'd be thrilled if you joined me.  What is the child/poverty rate where you live? What does poverty look like within your activism? How does poverty affect how we engage around veganism, liberation, animal rights and politics?

Thank you for reading. And thank you for all you do to make the world a better place for all living beings.

Expo West and the Natural Foods industry

It has been eight years since I was last at Expo West and my has the world changed. I will write more about this incredible trade show, and wanted to pass along what I experienced just yesterday while walking amongst the hundreds of booths promoting every natural food product one could imagine.

I decided to come to Expo West to learn about the newest amazing vegan food offerings and to start  a long-term process of finding out how companies in this industry, an industry that Mike and I financially support every day, are in welcoming transgender people to work for them. More specifically, I want to see if companies have gender identity and/or gender expression in the non-discrimination policies.

For those of you who are vegan or love vegan food, I can tell you that your food choice world is expanding even more than what I had thought prior to coming to Expo West. Companies like Daiya, Gardein, Tofurky, Miyoko's, Nada Moo, Bull Dog, Follow Your Heart and Vega blew my mind (and taste buds) with new products. Although many of these products won't land until later this summer or fall, I guarantee you you will not be disappointed.

There were several booths where I literally camped out for several minutes while continually "tasting" their new product. The same one I had just tried. They were that good. Of course after five tastes of the new Gardein breakfast pocket I decided that I should really move on. And yes, I will be back today!

From chickpea snacks to vegan caramels to juices and nutritional drinks, I continually walked away from booths with a huge smile on my face.

I also had dozens of conversations with companies about non-discrimination policies and will write more in-depth on those later. I will say that when you gather so many companies there are an equal amount of opinions and human resource-relayed policies. I will also say that wearing a press badge that has "The Gay Vegans" on it helped me many times in remembering that I live in a world that, even in a professional setting like a trade show, anti-gay bigotry and discomfort towards gay people exists.

More to come!

Thanks for reading!

A 20-year vegan

In simple terms, if one becomes vegan and doesn't die, eventually they will be vegan for 20 years.

That's the case in my life. January of 2016 marks 20 years of being vegan. I have honestly never looked back and never considered not being vegan since that first day.

I became vegan because I no longer wanted to be part of animal cruelty. I no longer wanted to think that my taste buds trumped the life of an animal who wanted to live.

A lot has changed. There are more vegans. A ton more vegan products. More people today get that animals are tortured and live in fear just to become someones meal.

Many restaurants at least have a vegan option.

Activism has grown too. I was involved in human rights work when I became vegan and now am happily also part of the animal rights movement.

Like many of us, I have passions in other areas, specifically trans equality, liberation, homelessness and poverty.

Being vegan is easy. Becoming vegan is easy. There is so much I don't know so I have a bunch of web links on the main page of my blog which can be helpful for those wanting to learn more.

Newly vegan? Considering veganism? Go easy on yourself. Learn all about food and what foods bring what nutrients to your body. Be kind to yourself and others. Life, veganism and activism are all paths and we each walk them a little differently.

Thank you for reading!

With love, from Dan

The past several weeks have gone by incredibly fast. After five months of living in Los Angeles both of us agree that we are feeling pretty settled in. Great jobs, great home, getting to know our way around and eating so much amazing vegan food.

While all of this has been going on I have neglected to write about so much. You can fill in the blank for what "so much" I mean, as there sure is a lot going on in the world, in our country, and in our communities.

As 2015 comes to an end I just had to write to all of you who have been so supportive of me and us and this blog and send a simple message of love.

Big love. With a huge dash of gratitude.

To each and every one of you.

There is an intense amount of hate and injustice going on in this world.

And if any of that ever gets you down, please remember that The Gay Vegans have your back. We are all in this together.

And just to be clear, that is BIG LOVE I am sending you.

Thank you, from deep in my soul, for all of your love and support. It means so much. And together we can do so much more.

Thank you for reading!

Today is World Vegan Day

Lucy, who lives at Rooterville animal sanctuary.

We have our own day.

Having a blog that includes veganism, I get to interact with folks about veganism every day. Sometimes positive, sometimes negative.

I still get surprised when someone attacks my veganism, which is ultimately a very personal decision for me, one made because I did not want to be part of cruelty and torture that happens so to appease taste buds.

In January I will celebrate 20 years of being 100% vegan which means for 20 years I have consumed no meat, dairy, eggs, honey or any other by-product from animals. Yes, this also means that my belts and dress shoes are not leather and my ties to not contain silk.

As every human my age and up knows, life goes by very fast. It's difficult to grasp that I have been vegan that long. Although I became vegan for animal cruelty issues, the benefits of being vegan as I get older include being healthier. At 47 I ran my first half marathon. Looking forward to my third next May at age 50.

I know many who read my blog are not vegan. I hope I am able to provide here information (see all of the links) and life experience (read the posts) that show how easy being vegan is and how it is available to anyone. Myths around veganism and protein and cost are just those, myths. The benefits around being vegan, to you, the environment and to the animals, are endless.

So happy World Vegan Day.

Please vote

No surprise with this title or post. One of the reasons I created this blog was to engage with other in making this world a better place for all living beings and voting in every election at every level is one way to do this.

Yes, you most likely have not heard about any election coming up on the national news. Most issues in November will be local issues. Let your voice be heard.

There are propositions on the ballot all over the place. And school board elections. And your city council race.

Please don't let some crazy ballot initiative pass or some right-wing, anti-gay candidate win by letting a small minority control the vote.

Vote.

If you vote by mail most ballots have already been sent out. You still have a few weeks to mail but why not go ahead and just fill it out and mail it today?

We can be a voice for those with no voice.

Thanks for reading!

Our neighborhood bees are in trouble

 
We moved from Colorado to the Los Angeles area back in July and are still settling in. We love all that LA has to offer and rarely have we missed at least one beach day per week.

Back in Colorado we owned a quarter of an acre and had a huge garden and little planted areas throughout the yard. Our yard was super bee friendly and throughout the spring through the fall we had hundreds of bees. We loved them and felt that we were doing something positive to support the dwindling bee population.

Something troubling we have noticed here is a constant flow of dead or dying bees. Not healthy, walking slowly, unable to fly and within a day we find dead. The first time I noticed this I thought it was a fluke but now I have realized that in our yard we have yet to see a healthy bee.

I wonder why.

This blog post I invite you to let us know what you think. We live in the north east area of Los Angeles. We live in an area that has plenty of trees and floral, and is only one block to where the San Gabriel mountains begin.

Do any of you know about bee populations in the LA area? Do you know what we can do to help bees here?

I would be grateful for any information.

Thanks for reading!

Being a voice for the voiceless

Many times while expressing my viewpoint or speaking up for something or against something, I look inside myself to see if the action I am taking is truly honoring the voiceless, whichever voiceless I am trying to be a voice for at the moment.

How is my action or behavior actually helping the voiceless? Is it viewed positively or negatively. Would folks not necessarily in agreement with me at least ponder what I am talking about or will they just blow me off as crazy, rude, etc?

This topic is huge for me. I seldom lose sight of why I am an activist, why I think it is so important to be  a voice for the voiceless. To continually speak out against animal cruelty, bigotry, violence and recently just basic unkindness. To be a voice for liberation.

I became vegan for one reason: animal cruelty. I didn't become vegan because someone yelled at me or threatened me. It was a very personal decision based on the person I wanted to be. I loved animals. Why in the world would I want to do anything that would harm them? Although I would have picked up a stray dog or stopped someone from abusing an animal in front of me, what was on my dinner plate did not reflect my values when it came to animals.

I know that some will disagree with me, that we must do everything in our power to stop the violence and to fight for total liberation.

I would rather invite those opposed to my ideas or my way of thinking for a coffee and actually talk. This of course is not always possible. I would rather disrupt in a calm, kind voice. I have seen this in action and smiled.

I remember one day standing outside a Baptist church during a silent protest against the church taking out a full-page ad in the local paper to denounce homosexuality and make clear their stance against it. Chatting with a family on their way out I said that we all have more in common than not. We had a wonderful conversation. I am not sure if they would stand on the side of liberation and equality, yet I am pretty sure they would not demonize gay people. Perhaps that's a start.

Thanks for reading.

One in five children

This is one of those posts that will typically not get a lot of reads. When I write about topics like poverty, hunger or HIV/AIDS, many tend to skip the post.

I will keep this post short.

The federal government released poverty numbers this past week.

One in five children in California live in poverty.

One is six children in the US live in poverty.

No matter why you read my blog or why you connect with me personally or with The Gay Vegans, I ask you to please consider these numbers.

So much wealth. So much privilege. Yet so many live in poverty.

As activists, we can take action. We can also build bridges with activist communities whose main mission is not ours, and become stronger. We can find connections with our work to poverty, to hunger and to class. In the Los Angeles area, where we live, it is not difficult to see hard-core class distinction.

If you would like more information on poverty in the US, please click here.

Thank you for reading.

Living in Los Angeles

Seven weeks.

It's hard to believe that we are already living here, already settled in, and already working our new jobs.

We had the dream, we took the risk, and we are loving it.

I remember telling people we were moving from Colorado to Los Angeles and getting the look. The look like "are you crazy?". Then all of the negative comments about how terrible traffic is in LA, how crowded it it, etc.

The traffic is definitely terrible and it sure is crowded. It doesn't take long to learn to deal with that, and even embrace it at least in regards to it being crowded. 

There is so much that we already love: the diversity, the people, the closeness to the beach, the urban and mountain beauty, the food, the markets, etc. Almost every day there is something else to add to the list.

If you are vegan and a foodie, LA is one of the most incredible cities ever. Wherever I am for a work appointment, I can plug the word "vegan" into Yelp and find so many options for a meal it's crazy. And I mean good vegan options. The other day I wanted to take one of my team out for lunch and found a place called Un Solo Sol, a local Mexican place. Oh my. Delicious food and gracious hospitality. Review to come for sure. This is just one example.

As I was sitting in traffic last night on the way home from work, I looked up at the palm trees and smiled.

We live here.

Thanks for reading.

Let's just attack each other.

A lion was stalked and killed.

A trans woman was beaten to death.

A four year old boy was killed by a stray bullet.

Supporters of #BlackLivesMatter met in Cleveland to discuss strategy.

These are the news items I paid particular attention to in the last week or so. Not in any particular order.

The story that hit me the hardest was a couple of weeks ago, and that is the story of Sandra Bland being pulled over in Texas for not using a turn signal. She was jailed and died in her cell three days later. She had been unable to pay the $5,000 bond to get out of jail. For not using a turn signal (and for what I think, knowing her rights).

Each of these news items touched off debate, conversation, and unfortunately, judgment.

Before I could get to my second coffee, people in different groups were attacking others for not seeing things as they see things, not taking the correct kind of action, or condemning people who could not possibly help or relate.

Oh my.

My activism is not neatly boxed into one issue. I give a shit about many issues and I try to use my voice to make the world a better place for all living beings. I have been a fighter of injustice since I was a kid.

Yes, a white gay guy living in privilege who gives a shit about others, and I'm not alone. I'm not into fighting and being told I don't belong. There are definitely discussions I stay out of when I think it's not my place, but there are so many issues where my voice can be powerful. I don't write that just because I think my voice is stronger than yours. I write it because I believe everyone's voice can be powerful.

When we use it.

I Periscoped earlier this week with the title "Talking about Sandra Bland" and most folks were not interested, a couple had no idea who she is is, and one said it was funny seeing someone living in white privilege talking about Sandra Bland. Yep.

It is so easy for activists, or humans, to attack other activists rather than asking questions, having a conversation or opening one's mind to learn something about an issue that is equally as powerful as yours, but one you might not know much about.

But it's not impossible.

Thanks for reading.

Crappy vegan food is bad for veganism

I have always loved this line. I heard it when in a session at Vida Vegan Con II in Portland, Oregon two years ago. I was in a session to learn about writing restaurant reviews given by Grant Butler, a columnist with The Oregonian.

It has stayed with me ever since and I consider it every time I write a restaurant review.

I have thought of it a lot since moving to the Los Angeles area while we experience so many new vegan opportunities. Having been to LA many times, we've known that this is a vegan food mecca. Living here is different, as new experiences pop up almost every day.

There have been some eating experiences that have blown us away, where we find us like at each other going "oh my goodness!".

And then there have been experiences that were not so mind blowing. 

On the top of my list was a dessert Mike and I saw. We both instantly drooled. Anticipation was very high as the server brought it to our table. Then utter disappointment. It was dry and not very tasty.

We have had several moments like this. We read reviews, we get excited, we drive way out of our way to try a restaurant and then we are presented with food that is average, and in some cases not good on any level.

How can this change? I'm starting with this post. At the restaurant where the dessert was a huge disappointment, I took the server aside and gave very honest feedback. I wouldn't do a restaurant review based on just one experience.

I think it is vastly important that we let restaurants know when their food is sub-par. Of course food is very personal, but if you get something that is totally off base, let the folks know.

I think about someone who wants to try a vegan meal and gets crappy food, and how that affects not only veganism but the animals as well.

Thanks for reading!

Living in Los Angeles

Well, not exactly.

One week ago we made the move from Colorado to the Los Angeles area. Home is now the small town of Monrovia, about 20 miles northeast from downtown LA.

We have wanted to make the move to southern California for years. We are pretty ecstatic.

A few experiences so far:

I paid $4.59 a gallon for gas yesterday.

We have been blown away by the kindness of strangers.

Our new next door neighbors had us over for dinner last night for a vegan feast. It was amazing.

We love Donut Friend.

We have been to beaches at Newport Beach and Malibu and loved them both.

We had dinner at Gracias Madre which we fell in love with last summer. It is still amazing in so many ways.

We had deer in our neighborhood. Apparently there are also plenty of skunks, bears and raccoons too.

Our grocery bill is definitely higher.

I have taken the train into downtown LA three times now. Love it. As I interview I am trying to figure out the best way to get to potential jobs.

Downtown LA is incredible. And I haven't even begun to explore it.

More to come.

Thanks for reading!

Marriage equality happens. Now what?

Ecstatic is an understatement.

Add emotional and a few other feelings and you have what I feel now and really felt last Friday upon getting the news about the US Supreme Court ruling in regards to marriage equality.

Mike and I were married ten years ago in a ceremony we called " a loving act of civil disobedience" as we married in our home state of Colorado where marriage was not legal. Last year we went to our favorite beach (Torrey Pines in San Diego) and were legally wed.

Watching couples in Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota and Georgia brought on a flood of tears.

Of course not everyone is happy with the decision. The unhappiness began on the Court itself with those who dissented.

From Republican Presidential candidates to pastors to folks who just don't like gay people (including the previously mentioned), I have heard it all.

Here's what I have to say to those who are demonizing gay people and continuing the spiritual genocide against us:

No gay couple would want to be married by an anti-gay religious person in an anti-gay place of worship. So please stop with the fearmongoring about being forced to wed gay couples. No thank you.

We will continue to fight against hate and bigotry. Some of us are seasoned after living through the HIV/AIDS epidemic and dealing with so much bigotry against those with HIV/AIDS and then the ridiculous fight to be equal under the law in regards to marriage. And now we have some free time.

Traditional marriage. From the Old Testament? Multiple wives? Marrying teenagers? What exactly is traditional marriage? Marriage these days determines benefits and rights amongst couples. It shows the highest form of a couple's commitment. That's why I chose to marry my husband. And although we had a religious ceremony, I would be fine with a civil marriage.

Some Christians have said some terrible things about marriage and about gay people. There are more divorced heterosexuals in the U.S. than there are gay people but the hate does not extend to them.

There is something powerful in kindness. There is something powerful in love. I will continue to fight for equality and against bigotry, prejudice and hate. I won't demonize those against me, but I will not remain silent either.

More to come on this topic.

I'd like to close by saying thank you to all of those who have expressed kindness to us. I am truly grateful. The U.S. Supreme Court decision was intense for us for many reasons. We are still smiling.

Thanks for reading.

In mourning

NOTE: I am just expressing feelings here. This is not a though-out blog post.

I have been watching the news coverage from Charleston, South Carolina and my heart is heavy.

Then the news goes to the Aurora shooting trial here in Colorado.

Nine people murdered while in a bible study.

Twelve people murdered while going to see a Batman movie.

It's heartbreaking.

From here in Colorado all I can do is mourn, and write.

My head is full of thoughts about racism and violence. They are not clear enough for me to write about them yet. I'm sure I will.

Sending big love to all of you. I know that is not enough. Believe me, I am angry. I want to fight back against racism and violence.

I have been on Periscope a lot lately. I end each live video with "please be kind to one another".

And I think of many family members of those murdered in Charleston, who spoke words of forgiveness to the racist terrorist who murdered their loved ones.

What a world.

Thanks for reading.

Time to ditch dairy

Watching another video come out showing clear violence and abuse towards cows on a dairy farm in Fort Morgan, Colorado, is sickening.

The video shows dairy employees, who to me are cowards and monsters, doing what has become common in animal production: simple animal cruelty. If you care about any animal, this video will sicken you.

I am very grateful to Mercy For Animals for their undercover work.

The owners of the cows are horrified. The folks from the dairy cooperative that the dairy farm belongs to put the blame on Mercy For Animals. Both groups are pathetic.

Cruelty is inherent in these places.

It's time to ditch dairy.

There are so many other products out there that don't include inherent cruelty. And that don't financially support individuals who look at the animals suffering in the video simply as product, not as living, breathing beings.

In Colorado, all of the cowards shown in the video can be charged with aggravated animal cruelty.

I hope the Fort Morgan Sheriff does this.

And I hope dairy milk sales continue to go down.

If you would like to watch the Mercy For Animals click here.

If you would like to read the Denver Post article click here.

Thanks for reading!

Matt Ruscigno's session at Vida Vegan Con

I was thrilled to be able to attend my second Vida Vegan Con,  one of the best planned conferences I have ever been to and one filled with vegan bloggers from all over the world. This was the third (and the final) Vida Vegan Con and was held in Austin, Texas.

I will undoubtedly write more about Vida Vegan Con and wanted to start with one of the sessions I attended. Matt Ruscigno has a Master's in Public Health and is a Registered Dietitian. He is a rock star in my book. We need to know how to get and stay healthy while loving veganism, and people like Matt make that possible.

His session was about looking at the science of being vegan. It was fascinating and I could have listened for hours. I took notes, and would like to share a few nuggets of wisdom that I learned. What I am sharing here is what I got out of his talk. I want to make that clear as just because this is what I got from the talk doesn't mean I got it right!

Matt let us know that there is very little research that compares vegan and omnivore athletes. I have learned while trying to get healthier that research in vegan nutrition is key.

One of the several things he mentioned that really struck me, and mentioned a couple of times, is the phrase "what we do most often matters most". Love this. For me it means it I eat healthy most of the time, forages into vegan junk food and desserts aren't that bad. Yes, at times my life has been the opposite when eating healthy was not common! I have thought about this a lot and really want to focus on doing more around fitness and nutrition so that when I decide not to work out or decide to grab two cartons of ice cream, it's not such a bad thing.

Remember that I am not a dietitian. I do try to pay attention to what people like Matt have to say.

Matt also talked about that there is no one right way to discuss nutrition and science. That sure was  a relief!

He also mentioned that adding one food to your diet is not going to drastically change your health. I sure needed to hear that. What I am trying to do is to make eating lots of fruits and vegetables part of my norm.

One of the most important things he said was to not exaggerate in regards to veganism and nutrition. Be realistic and be careful with using nutrition as the gateway to veganism.

What Matt gets when at the market?  Leafy greens. Whole grains. Berries. Red cabbage. Quinoa. Lentils. Kale.

Check out more about Matt here.