The Gay Vegans

Vote with your wallet

I played around with the title of this post for a bit.

I was about to go with “Support vegan companies”. Then I remembered that not all vegan companies are aligned with my values. The list goes much bigger when one includes companies that simply offer vegan products, as opposed to being an all vegan company.

It’s not always easy to stay informed on whether or not the company that sells your favorite ice cream, toothpaste or fresh vegetables is aligned as closely as possible with who you are as a person. I have been trying to do this almost my entire life and I recently saw an updated list of companies that test and animals and was surprised to see two products that I use. The self-education never ends!

I’d also like to say that my expectations are higher for companies now than they used to be. I want companies I support to do the right thing and let folks know they’re doing it. I would also like companies to speak out for the right thing.

The whole process of knowledge begins with us asking the questions. It begins with you asking the questions.

The internet is a good place to start. If you are unaware of how your favorite company is or isn’t aligned with who you are as a person, Google their name with your cause. Example is “Does Gardein support LGBTQ employees?”. You will most likely have lots of information in a second. Of course this is a wide open question, and it will catch and pro or con stories out there.

You can also directly email or call the company, or ask on their Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Many advocacy groups keep lists of companies that do or do not support their cause.

My hope is that this post encourages you to ask questions. I also hope that your favorite companies are indeed aligned with you and your beliefs. What I am learning is that these policies of support or not change, and many companies are bought and sold and that could change things.

Good luck. Let me know if I can help.

Thank you for reading!

About Dan Hanley

Gay and vegan in the burbs (of Los Angeles). I blog about veganism, equality, compassion, activism, politics, spirituality, and our awesome life experiences. The "s" includes my husband, Mike! I want this blog to be a tool to build bridges among communities and to inspire people to get involved and vote.

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