And there are endless opportunities to end it.

I became vegan in 1996 when I decided that I could no longer participate in the cruelty that comes with eating meat and animal products.

Becoming vegan was only the start.

It can be easy for me to forget my fight against animal cruelty when people are being murdered by ICE, when anti-LGBTQ legislation abounds in the US, and when some days seem hopeless.

As someone who has been fighting animal cruelty most of his life, I know what hopelessness feels like. I also know that I can allow myself a moment of it, but I do not and cannot live in it. That does nothing for the animals whose entire lives from birth to death are filled with fear, torture, and abuse.

Some days, being vegan is all I can do.

There are other things I can do on those days when I have more time and energy. Here are a few examples:

Make a delicious vegan meal to share with on-vegans.

Bring vegan treats to my work colleagues.

Foster a companion animal from a local shelter.

Write a letter to the editor about animal cruelty.

Donate to an animal rights group or your local animal shelter.

Participate in an online animal rights action. Check out Lady Freethinker.

Support a vegan business.

Wear an animal rights message shirt.

There are many more, and I’ll keep adding in future posts. Maybe I’ll create a new tab at the top of our page for ideas.

By the way, I need a new message tee if you happen to have a favorite that you’d like to recommend to me.

As always, thanks for reading. And thanks for doing what you can to end animal cruelty.

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Go vegan. Vote. Be kind.