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Pride is here and we want to share our platform and celebrate a few of our favourite vegan LGBTQ+ activists campaigning for justice for all. From environmentalists and recipe creators to celebrities and actors, here are just a few people that inspire us every day...
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Every June, people around the world come together to celebrate Pride.
This month-long event celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and spreads awareness of the oppression the community has overcome and the struggles it still faces.
The first Pride event took place one year after the Stonewall Riots in 1969, when the Police raided the New York Stonewall Inn and attacked its LQBTQ+ customers, igniting a wave of protests and an uprising against homophobia and transphobia.
Pride month signifies acceptance and equality for all, remembering the incredible work the LGBTQ+ community have fought for.
Furthermore, we want to share our platform with some of our favourite vegan LGBTQ+ activists.
From environmentalists and recipe creators to vegan celebrities and entertainers, these people continue to inspire us every single day.
1. Isaias Hernandez AKA Queer Brown Vegan
Image source: Instagram via @QueerBrownVegan
Isaias Hernandez is an environmental educator and activist. Born in California, Isaias grew up in a community that faced environmental injustices and witnessed pollution affect his body.
These injustices Hernandez faced empowered him to become an environmental educator and earned a BS in Environmental Studies.
Hernandes has since created spaces for people to learn about the environmental movement, focusing on diversity and representation within these spaces.
Topics that feature on Isaias’ blog include ‘Environmental Racism’ and ‘Lack of diversity in veganism’.
Moreover, you can learn from Isaias through his education platform, Queer Brown Vegan.
2. Billie Lee
Image source: Instagram via @itsmebillielee
Billie Lee is a writer, producer, actor, vegan blogger, and trans activist.
After facing issues with digestion, Lee embarked on a vegan diet and has never looked back.
She has been growing her blog She’s So Vegan since the pandemic and last year Lee launched her first E-recipe book.
Furthermore, Bille Lee uses her platform to educate others on racial inequalities, trans rights, and environmental injustice.
3. The Happy Donuts Co
Image source: Instagram via @thehappydonutco
The Happy Donut Co is an LGBTQ+ led vegan bakery based in Bath.
Run by Nat and Meg, the pair create a wide range of indulgent vegan bakes and cakes.
The Happy Donut Co was launched to challenge people’s perceptions of plant-based sweet treats.
Nat and Meg’s bold and unique designs are truly a feast for the eyes (and stomachs).
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4. Elliot Page
Image source: Instagram via @elliotpage
Elliot Page is a longtime vegan (over a decade, to be exact), and was even voted ‘World’s Sexiest Vegan’ by PETA in 2014.
As well as using his voice to support trans rights, Page is an advocate for animal liberation.
In 2011, Page tweeted to his almost 2 million followers asking: “Why are vegans made fun of while the inhumane factory farming process regards animals and the natural world merely?”
5. Julia Feliz
Image source: Instagram Via @sanctuary_publishers
Author and researcher Julia Feliz is an anti-oppression activist and educator on social, racial, and queer justice.
Feliz is the founder of Sanctuary Publishers, a vegan book publisher that gives back to marginalised communities.
In 2017, they produced the popular Veganism in an Oppressive World: A Vegans-of-Color Community Project, shining a light on the challenges vegans of colour face.
In addition, Feliz championed the ‘New Pride Flag‘, centring trans and queer people of colour in the movement.
6. Fat Gay Vegan
Image source: Instagram via @fatgayvegan
Sean O’Callaghan AKA Fat Gay Vegan is a vegan blogger and author showcasing delicious vegan food.
Sean’s aim is to help people navigate their life with compassion and justice for all beings.
Additionally, O’Callaghan is vocal about inclusivity and oppression within the vegan movement.
In an interview with The Vegan Society, Sean said: “The biggest challenge is resisting oppressive forces such as racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism and wealth disparity which are (not incidentally) powered by the same forces of capitalism and colonialism that also power mass exploitation of non-human animals.”
7. Pax Ahimsa Gethen
Image source: Instagram via @PaxAhimsaGethen
Pax Ahimsa Gethen is a non-binary vegan activist and blogger.
Pax uses their platform to educate and support topics such as trans rights, gender, race, and veganism.
Titles from Gethen’s blog include “Animals, Gender, Race, and Optics”, “Becoming a black man in America”, and “Dairy: White Lies”.
They continue to stand up and fight for justice for marginalised people and animals alike.
8. Natasha Eats Plants
Image source: Instagram via @natashaeatsplants
Natasha is a gluten-free and vegan food blogger and recipe developer.
Her blog Natasha Eats Plants hosts an array of vibrant vegan and gluten-free recipes.
From vegan chicken to vegan doughnuts, Natasha takes whole food ingredients and turns them into delicious creations.
9. Pattrice Jones
Image source: Pax Ahimsa Gethen via Wikimedia Commons
Pattrice Jones is the Co-founder of LGBTQ-led animal sanctuary, VINE.
VINE, which stands for ” Veganism Is The Next Evolution”, is driven by an ecofeminist understanding of the intersections among the ways that humans hurt animals, each other, and the environment.
In addition to publishing two books, Jones has taught in universities and colleges courses on the theory and praxis of social change activism as well as in the fields of psychology, gender studies, and LGBTQ studies.
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10. Bimini Bon Boulash
Image source: Instagram via @Biminibabes
Famous for being the UK’s plant-based queen, Bimini Bon Boulash helped bring veganism to mainstream TV.
Boulash shot to fame as a finalist on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, where they announced to the world “I’m vegan” upon their entry.
Self-titled as the “Plant-Based Princess”, Bimini has been vegan for over 8 years.
The non-binary drag queen is vocal about animal rights on their social media, Boulash even recreated Pamela Anderson’s iconic PETA campaign.
11. Alan Cummings
Image source: Instagram via @alancummingreally
Scottish actor Alan Cumming has been a queer icon and vocal animal rights activist for some time.
The X-Men actor regularly teams up with PETA to help spread the word about veganism and its impact on the planet.
In addition to Cumming’s animal rights campaigning, the actor is a passionate ally of the LGBTQ+ community.
Moreover, Cumming’s even shared his views on people who get disapprove of others sharing their pronouns, simply saying: “I think: ‘F**k you’.”
12. Zacchary Bird
Image source: Instagram via @zaccharybird
Zacchary Bird has changed the way we see vegan meat alternatives for the better.
The Vegan Butcher author has shown the full potential of plant-based ingredients, recreating dishes like whole roast ‘duck’ and vegan salmon.
Additionally, Bird has broken the internet with his iconic dance moves on TikTok and Instagram.
What’s more, the Vegan Butcher uses his platform to respond to hateful homophobic and misogynistic messages with wit and humour.
Want to read more? Discover 10 vegan athletes you didn’t know ate a vegan diet.
