Gay, vegan pride

June is Gay Pride Month!

Yes, we have a whole month to celebrate our community, our diversity, our victories and organize to fight for the victories to come. (I know, we can do this every month.)

In Denver, this weekend is Gay Pride weekend, with festivities downtown all weekend and the annual parade on Sunday. Mike and I like to go on Saturday when it's less crazy, and when there seems to be less drinking.

We are also kind of excited about being in Chicago next weekend and checking out their pride. Although I definitely have to let you know that we are more excited about being able to eat at the Chicago Diner!

As gay and vegan, we realize that there are still many bridges to be built between the two communities. The great things are that there are many more openly gay vegans today than there were a few years ago, that vegan is not as much of an unknown term in the gay community, and that there seems to be less anti-gay rhetoric or comments within the vegan/animal rights community as there were just a few years ago.

Imagine the power force as more and more gay people become vegan and more and more animal rights activists embrace equality. Holy cow!

We will be celebrating our amazing communities, our marriage, and our solid commitment to making this world a better place for all living beings. It is totally true that we all have more in common than not, and when folks who believe in ending discrimination, in ending cruelty and torture towards animals, in ending bigotry, and in tackling hate in all forms combine their strengths and work together, we can accomplish SO much! We indeed can change the world!

So happy pride everyone! That's what we say at pride events.

And by the way, if you live in an area where there is a pride event, check it out. You don't have to be gay to attend and I am pretty sure you'll have fun. Oh, and wear a vegan tshirt!

Thanks so much for reading! My email address is vegandude@msn.com

Celebrating one year and 100 posts

This post is to celebrate the one year anniversary of The Gay Vegans blog! June 16th, 2011 was my first blog post!

I can't believe that an idea to share more personally while going on vacation last summer catapulted to what The Gay Vegans has become. Last summer Mike and I were headed to Florida to visit his mom and I decided that I didn't want to write about the vacation on my fundraising blog.  That's when The Gay Vegans was born, and what a journey it has been.

I am beyond grateful to all of you who take the time to read this blog. And to share your experiences about whatever topic I have chosen. And to offer your love, support, feedback, recipes, guest rooms, and favorite restaurant recommendations!

Our readers have become so important to us. As much joy as I get with writing this blog, I get even more from hearing that one post inspired someone to check out a vegan cookbook, or someone to register to vote or look up their state representative.

From many states here in the US to Colombia, England, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Australia and more, I get to share my personal experiences with folks who in turn become part of my life. What an honor that is.

And even though the title of my blog is The Gay Vegans, I have realized that there is a vast community of gay vegan men. The Facebook page for Gay Vegan Men has 186 members! And just recently, a gay vegan won PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian contest!

So here's to another year of building bridges, showing how awesome being vegan is, speaking out against hate and cruelty and bigotry, reminding folks that we have so much more in common than not, building community, learning how to be a voice for the voiceless, and supporting each other on this amazing journey!

Thank you so much! Thank you for continually reading my blog and being such an awesome part of The Gay Vegans community!

The end of a friendship

Sometimes while I am enjoying my amazing life filled with wonderful friends, loving family, my incredible husband, I easily forget that my life was not always this way. I remember what is was like before I came out, before I got interested in human rights and animal rights, and before I was so comfortable in my own skin.

Today I lovingly let go of someone I have called friend since 1989. We were both in early sobriety together, in the Navy, and at one point lived together. I have loved him for a long time. He was part of my life in those challenging days when I was just starting to be OK with me.

In this world of social media I think we both realized how different we are. Maybe we have always been this different but seeing each other's Facebook posts made it crystal clear.

So it was with great sadness when I realized I hadn't seen his posts in a while and went to his page, seeing that we were no longer "friends" on Facebook. We have talked a couple of times this year about my blog and our differences of opinion.

It's not like I see him often. It's been about two years. But the love has always been there, perhaps misguided.

This blog is all about building bridges. My main mission statement would be that we all have more in common than not. That our differences don't mean we need to attack each other or demonize each other.

I texted him to tell him that I love him and that I understand.

The world I live in, the world where I live in bliss and am ever so grateful for all I have, isn't necessarily reality. I get that not everyone will like me, or that not everyone will want to be in relationship with me. I get that there will even be those who dislike me and want to attack me. I get it. I don't like it.

Relationships are tough. The liberal thing, the gay thing, the vegan thing, the animal rights activist thing, the gay and married thing; there are so many parts of me that can lead to differences.

My friend is a beautiful human being, loving husband, incredible father.

Perhaps differences of opinion are stronger than what I once thought. And perhaps one day he'll call and simply say that he was tired of reading my crap and blog posts on FB!

Thanks for reading! Please email me with your thoughts if you don't feel comfortable posting them as a comment! vegandude@msn.com

Vitamin D at 46

This blog isn’t just about Vitamin D or about me being 46.

The main theme is drinking the kool-aide.

As in don’t drink the kool-aide. This is an old reference and it basically means not to blindly follow or believe what someone is saying.

Whether you are at a church or synagogue, a doctor’s office, a vegan conference. Whether you are reading the benefits of eating meat, of not eating meat, the benefits of exercise or which candidate will make YOUR life better.

Don’t do it. Don’t drink the kool-aide. Listen, read, think about it, pray or meditate, talk with your closest friends, and make a decision that is best for YOU.

After 16 years of being vegan and right in the middle of the time in my life when I am consciously trying to be healthier, thanks to a dear friend I learned that there is Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. And I learned that when my soy milk states that it provides 30% of my daily need for Vitamin D, it means D2 not D3.

D3 is tough to get for vegans. Really tough. To be clear, I am still totally learning about this, so please don't take what I am saying as gospel.

I have spent hours researching this. I added Jack Norris' website as a link as he has great info on D3.

The point here is that I had no clue about Vitamin D.

And this of course leads to what other things I may not have a clue about!

Thanks for reading! And please keep me posted on things you are learning about in regards to a vegan diet. You can email me at vegandude@msn.com if you don't want to leave a public comment.