Vegan-Feminist Perspectives

Vegan-Feminist Perspectives

By Suzy Gonzalez 1

This zine is the second in a series that I created for my Independent Study Project in the Spring semester of 2014. It is the result of wanting to merge my life as an artist with animal rights activism from a feminist perspective. There is much to be done on my part, and this zine serves as an platform for me to sort out the possibilities of working with these topics within my art.

I hope that you enjoy this issue and that you are motivated to consider all the aimals in your life, whether they be on your lap or on your plate.

2

Table of Contents Veganism as a Feminist Issue: My Story............................................4-5 Neither Man Nor Beast Recap............................................................6-9 An Interview with Carol Adams......................................................10-13 PETA Tactics: A Critique...................................................................16-17 An Interview with Hannah Monroe.................................................18-19 Companion Species.......................................................................20-21 Ringling Abuse.............................................................................22-23 Food Choice..................................................................................24-25 Vegan Tacos..................................................................................26-27 3

Veganism as a Feminist Issue: My Story

A few years ago, my best friend checked out The Pornography of Meat by Carol Adams. At the time, I would still eat a little meat here and there, but did not rely on it. I flipped through the book, thinking it was an extreme concept, but kind of had my mind blown at the same time. The images within it represented the sexualization of animals within every day advertising. By this time I already identified as a feminist so they were intriguing to me regardless of my diet. Once I became aware of the popularity of these images, I began noticing them much more and became analytic of advertising in general. These images have been an influence on my work and continue to shape the discussions my work has with consumption capital.

My sister had been a vegetarian for as long as I could remember, and I was the punkish little sister that would make fun of her, because, well, that’s what sisters do. I always felt a sense of rebellion in leaning towards my Dad’s Texas-barbeque-eating-tendencies against my sister’s “fake” burgers or tofu. I knew I loved animals (my pets) and was reluctant to make the obvious connections that the meat I was eating was the product of animals that should also be loved. In my final years at undergrad, my sister, best friend, and boyfriend were all vegetarian. This made it easy for me to make the switch, but I also had to admit to myself my prolonged unwillingness to change. I felt much better about myself after going vegetarian, but I still did not feel satisfied.

Personally, I was feeling a little hypocritical for not going all the way into veganism. It still felt weird for me to eat eggs when I considered that it came from an animal and was on its way to become an animal. Change can be very hard, especially when it comes to traditional diet. At first veganism can take some dedication, but after a while it feels absolutely normal to gain one’s nutrients from plants alone. We were on vacation the next Christmas doing wine tasting, so I enjoyed the cheese samples they were paired with because I knew I would become vegan for my New Years resolution just a few days later.

In further exploring the writings of Carol Adams, I came to realize the close ties to the oppression, exploitation, objectification, and violence towards women and that of female animals. Living in Texas, I was able to experience the adamant protests last year against the antiabortion bills that would bring the amount of abortion-providing clinics in the state from 40 to what will likely be 6 by the fall of this year. Back tracking in women’s rights, Texas’s political leaders are unconstitutionally controlling the reproductive systems of women in personal matters that they will likely never have to face themselves. The idea here is about choice. Women do not exist as incubators. They do not exist solely to reproduce and should be able to make their 4

own decisions in regards to their own bodies. This can be related to the control of animals and the lack of choice that they are given.

The entire dairy industry is based on the exploitation of the reproductive systems of female cows. These animals are kept pregnant for the majority of their lives by forced artificial insemination in order for them to continue producing milk for humans. Humans are the only species that consumes lactation after infancy, and it is not even come from other humans. The female cow’s offspring are torn away from them and they are never able to consume their mother’s milk. Their female babies will go on to become dairy cows as well, and their male babies will often be killed soon after birth for veal. When they are no longer able to reproduce and thus produce milk, the mother cows are sent to slaughter.

Some may think this to be an extreme connection, but that is only to point out how much worse animals have it on this planet than we do. Hierarchies of species are not unlike those of race, class, and gender within human social structures. It has become the general consensus that non-human animals are below us, and this is a norm that needs to be reconsidered by the vast majority.

As someone who was once part of this majority, I now find myself having to answer questions from meat-eaters that I once would have asked.

Something that I once said was: Shouldn’t we focus on human rights before we fight for animal rights?

My present day answer would be: No. In fact, we can fight for the rights of all animals at once, including humans. Hierarchies within society do not only exist within humans, but within species. Many feminists embrace the term intersectionality, and respect the unique levels of privilege and oppression within identity in regards to race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, etc., and there is no reason that species should be left off of that list.

5

Neither Man Nor Beast Web Conference

In February of this year, I was fortunate enough to attend the Neither Man Nor Beast Web Conference, in which an online community was formed on the basis of interests in overlapping issues of “intersecting liberation across species and social identities.” You can find these talks on YouTube by searching “Animal Liberation Onario,” the organization who put the conference together.

Carol J. Adams

“Neither Man nor Beast: politics and the absent referent in 2014 Carol J. Adams is a feminist-vegan advocate, activist, and independent scholar whose work explores the cultural construction of intersectional oppressions. Her book, The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory is now in a 20th anniversary edition, and she has since written numerous books on subjects of veganism, feminism, animal ethics, and ecofeminism. In The Sexual Politics of Meat, Carol politicized the literary concept of the absent referent, or the literal being who disappears in the eating of dead bodies, and who is kept in reproductive slavery to produce eggs and milk for human beings. The absent referent is the fact and reality of oppression that disappears when someone’s life becomes someone else’s pleasure or convenience.

Carol provided an overview of this subject and then focused on issues of reproductive justice and how current debates about abortion and birth control are related to attitudes toward nonhuman domesticated females whose bodies are always available for manipulation and use.

Sunaura Taylor

“Vegans, Freaks, and Animals: Toward a New Table Fellowship” Sunaura Taylor is an artist, writer and activist. Taylor’s artworks have been exhibited at venues across the country, including the CUE Art Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution and the Berkeley Art Museum. She was the recipient of a Joan Mitchell Foundation MFA Grant and an Animals and Culture Grant. Taylor worked with Judith Butler on Astra Taylor’s film *Examined Life*(Zeitgeist 2008), and holds an MFA in art practice from the University of California, Berkeley. Her book *Beasts of Burden,* which explores the intersections of animal ethics and disability studies, is forthcoming from the Feminist Press.

This talk examined an event that took place at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Marin County, California, in 2010, where Sunaura was invited to debate the author and cattle rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman on the ethics of eating meat.

Rather than detailing the debate itself, this presentation explored the context of the event and the social, political, and historical associations that it brought up for Sunaura as a feminist vegan disability activist and scholar.

Lori Gruen

“Entangled Empathy as Ecofeminist Praxis” Lori Gruen has been involved in animal issues as a writer, teacher, and activist for over 25 years. She is currently Professor of Philosophy as well as Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Environmental Studies at Wesleyan University. She is the author of two books on animal ethics, most recently Ethics and Animals: An Introduction (Cambridge, 2011). She is currently writing a book exploring the ethical and epistemological issues raised by human relations to captive chimpanzees.

She has documented the history of The First 100 chimpanzees in research in the US (http://first100chimps.wesleyan.edu) and has an evolving website that documents the journey to sanctuary of the remaining chimpanzees in research labs, The Last 6 1000 (http://last1000chimps.com).

Entangled Empathy as Ecofeminist Praxis discussed how the feminist care tradition in animal ethics has a long, and often overlooked, history. This talk laid out the history and distinctions between care, compassion, and empathy. Lori presented the notion of “entangled empathy” and disentangled it from some material feminist conceptions that extend care to all life.

Anastasia Yarbrough

“Contemplating radical self-care: Animal Rights as if life matters.”

Anastasia Yarbrough has been active in animal rights, social justice, and environmental issues for over ten years. She is a former board member of the Institute for Critical Animal Studies, a current advisory board member for Food Empowerment Project, and a Center for Whole Communities fellow. She works locally in the Asheville, NC area around issues of community empowerment. She will be a featured author in the upcoming book Critical Animal Geographies.

Although the importance of radical self-care is emerging as a legitimate strategy for liberation within social justice communities, and although authors like Pattrice Jones have emphasized the importance of self-care in the animal rights community, radical self-care in practice is often ignored within animal rights. In fact, the very concept of “community” is ignored in animal rights.

In her talk, she offered stories, poetry, data, and real-life examples as to why radical self-care is important and relevant for the animal rights movement. With the forces of racism, patriarchy, and colonialism weighing heavily in our individual lives and relationships, the most radical action we can take to affirm our power and make a difference for other animals is to help ourselves and help animals to help themselves.

Ruby Hamad

“HALAL: Perspectives on intersecting oppressions from a Muslim Vegan Feminist” Ruby Hamad is an Australian writer focusing on feminism, intersectionality, race, and politics. She is a frequent contributor to popular Australian online news sites Daily Life and ABC Unleashed. With a particular passion for the intersection of feminism and animal rights, she was also an associate editor for The Scavenger, an online portal of news, commentary, and feature stories with a social justice bent. Ruby is also a contributor to the anthology Defiant Daughters: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and the Sexual Politics of meat.

Feminism cannot afford to ignore the link between women’s oppression and animal exploitation. Nor should veganism position itself as a movement independent of the struggle for women’s rights. From an early age, Ruby’s own experience in a patriarchal religious-based culture led her to question both the roles of women and the treatment of animals. In Halal, Ruby will discuss how her feminism and vegetarianism (eventually to become veganism) bloomed simultaneously in her early childhood, although she was not to make the connection that these were two sides of the same coin until decades later; that feminism and veganism are intertwined because both reject the implicitly accepted notion that some bodies have the right to control and dominate others. As long as feminists eat meat, then they are propping up the very system they fighting against.

Hannah Monroe

Hannah Monroe - “Animals, Children’s Books, and the Social Construction of Gender” Hannah Monroe graduated from Warren Wilson College in December with a double major in Environmental Studies and Sociology & Anthropology. Hannah’s research focuses on ecofeminism and animal studies, looking at how ideas about

7

animals inform those about gender and depictions of animals in the media.

This presentation examined gendered representations of anthropomorphized animal characters in popular children’s books. This presentation focused on how animals are anthropomorphized in ways that reinforce hegemonic gender norms, symbolically supporting the idea that these norms are natural. She mainly focused on the theory around gendered representations of animals, drawing from a content analysis I did on best-selling children’s picture books with anthropomorphized animal characters from 2001 to 2010. I will also expand on my discussion of the naturalization of gender through children’s picture books to look at heteronormative depictions of animals. Overall, this presentation demonstrated how attitudes toward animals may inform ideas about gender.

Breeze Harper

“[In]Visible Scars of Suffering: Exploring Racial Dynamics, Speciesism, and Liberation through Creative Writing” Dr. A. Breeze Harper is the director and founder of the Sistah Vegan Project. Her emphasis is on the intersections of critical food studies, critical race studies, and black feminist theorizing. She received her PhD from the University of California, Davis and is currently a Research Fellow in the Human Ecology Department of University of California where she is currently researching key black male vegans who use hip hop and decolonial methodologies for their health, food, and environmental activism. You can follow her work at www.sistahvegan.com.

In this talk, she explored how her two books, Sistah Vegan and Scars: A Black Lesbian Experience in Rural New England, creatively articulate core themes in both critical race feminism and ethical consumption studies. She explored how creative writing can be used to holistically educate people about the interconnectedness of suffering for both human and non-human animals.

Daniel Kirjner

“Masculinity and Violence: A culture of predation” Daniel Kirjner is a vegan-feminist activist and doctoral student at the University of Brasília in Brazil, and is currently working with Dr. Lisa Kemmerer as a visiting scholar at Montana State University. His research focuses on links between the construction of masculinity and the glorification of violence against animals and women in contemporary capitalist societies. He has an article accepted for an Australian anthology on the Anthropocene but, more importantly, he is working hard to always learn about, question, and deconstruct masculinity in his own life, and heighten his awareness of the importance of feminism for changing predatory male behaviour in our society.

In contemporary western cultures, masculinity helps define what it means to be human. War propaganda, competitive sports industries, and advertisements are constantly reaffirming our identity as connected to power and gender/species domination. At the same time, women and non-human animals are portrayed as objects of consumption and conquest. Violence against women and animals are not different kinds of oppression, but different expressions of the same oppression.

The advertisement industry provides the opportunity to analyze how sexism and speciesism are portrayed as products.

During the last two years, Kirjner has been researching ads from many countries in order to compare how oppressions are sold as products in different cultures.

Mya Wollf

“Interconnections of feminism, animal liberation and radical sobriety; how survival through oppression can lead us towards the liberation of all beings” Mya Wollf is a vegan straightedge anarcha-feminist residing in Costa Rica, where she works in wildlife rescue/rehabilitation, environmental conservation, and many projects advocating for the liberation of all beings. She is also a yoga teacher and the founder of Total Liberation Yoga, which is a project dedicated to bringing anti-oppression and total liberation work into yoga, creating safer spaces and accessibility for all people who wish to join the practice.

In this presentation, she spike of her own experiences in oppression, and how they’ve come to lead her to a life totally dedicated to being an ally and comrade to all beings as we all work towards eradicating the forces that hold us down. She addressed how radical sobriety has allowed her to find clarity in her own situation, how she’s been able to take the strength 8

that she’s built as a survivor and do her best to fight for the liberation of others, and also how sobriety has allowed her to become aware of the oppression that she perpetuates on her own as a white, cis-gendered female. By stepping away from intoxication culture, or at least by being aware of the harm it can cause, we can all take a step away from hierarchy, oppression and domination over others and move toward further accountability in our relationships with each other and the beings we share this world with.

Ashley Maier

“Violence Against Women and Animal Rights: Making the (Highly Unpopular) Connection” Ashley Maier has worked in the movement to end gendered violence for well over a decade. She is currently employed at a state sexual assault coalition where she primarily conducts national sexual and domestic violence prevention work.

A preventionist at heart, Ms. Maier has also managed a state’s Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) program and grantees, coordinated pediatric residency training programs in community health and family violence, served as an advocate and support group therapist for women experiencing domestic and sexual violence, worked as Psychology faculty, and more. She holds an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis with an individualized concentration in violence against women and will obtain an MPA this May. Ms. Maier is a contributing author to Defiant Daughrers: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and The Sexual Politics of Meat and co-authored Links between sisters’ sexual and dating victimization: The roles of neighborhood crime and parental controls in the Journal of Family Psychology.

This presentation explored not only how violence against women and animal rights are inextricably linked, but also concepts and methods that are key to the prevention of both manifestations of violence – the movements share a lot more than they realize. Drawing from the presenter’s extensive experience within the movement to end violence against women, the presentation highlighted common resistance to an intersectional approach to the issues, offering practical, applicable solutions to making the link.

Sakihitowin Awasis

“From Animal Rights to Anti-Colonial Organizing: Michif Reflections on Transformative Movement Building” Sâkihitowin Awâsis is a Michif (Oji-Cree Métis) spoken word artist, writer, and community organizer currently helping to cultivate resistance to Enbridge line 9; the tar sands pipeline that runs through Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lenape, and Michif territories in so-called Ontario.

Awâsis provided a brief overview of colonization and the impacts this has on Indigenous ways of being. How the colonial processes of dehumanization and dispiriting subjugate Indigenous Peoples, animals, and the earth were be explored. This provided reasons to expand the scope of animal rights mobilizing to also include understandings of diverse relationships and responsibilities. Interrelated acts of decolonization and Indigenous resurgence in our movements for animal liberation have the power to transform the very notion of what it means to be human on a path to liberation. Activists often risk reproducing colonial power dynamics in their organizing and it is an important obstacle to consider in our collective struggle.

Information and image from: http://humanrightsareanimalrights.com

9

An Interview with

Carol Adams

Carol Adams is a leading scholar on the intersectional oppressions of animals and women.

I am thrilled to have been able to interview her for this zine. If you are intesrested in these topics, her books are a great place to begin.

Which came first for you, feminism or veganism, and how did you learn to see them as related to one another?

My feminism came first. Along with my two sisters, I was raised a feminist. But, also, in my life as a child, animals played an immense role—their nurturing, non-judgmental presence, their spirit of fun , their day-to-day presence as part of our household. A few years ago, when I finished another book on the subject I thought to myself, “When will I be done writing on this?” And I realized, “Animals have given me so much in my life, I will never be done.”

So which came first? While a sophomore at the University of Rochester in February 1970, I attended my first Women’s Liberation Meeting and implicit feminism became explicit. I started reading everything that was available, and was lucky enough to read theory practically at the moment it was formulating. I advocated for the first women’s studies courses at my school, and spent the summer of 1971, at a Women’s Studies seminar at the University of Pittsburgh.

In 1972 as part of my Yale Divinity School studies, I did field work at the New Haven Women’s Liberation Center, and participated in weekly process-oriented business meetings.

The following year, the day after I arrived back at my parents’ home, my pony was killed in a hunting accident (some teenagers were hunting behind the pasture where the ponies were grazing). That night, deeply grieving, I bit into a hamburger and suddenly realized, “I am eating a dead cow.” Because of my several years of feminist practice, as well as the feminist understanding that the personal is the political, I was equipped with the ability to interrogate my practice of “eating dead cows” and recognize it for what it was: not a personal issue, but a political one. I knew I had to stop eating dead animals and became a vegetarian.

Within a month of becoming a vegetarian, I experienced a moment of revelation: my feminism and vegetarianism were related. I was doing feminist studies through Harvard Divinity School, Andover-Newton Seminary, and studying feminist ethics with Mary Daly. One day, walking toward Harvard Square, I started thinking about all the associations I was coming upon: feminists in the 19th century who were vegetarians; feminist novels that included a move toward vegetarianism as part of the feminist awakening of the hero; that a patriarchal ethics naturalizes and normalizes violence by promulgating them. I began to see how patriarchal ethics perpetuates a view of human exceptionalism that permits the oppression of other beings. I remember having a feeling of almost levitating as the many dimensions of this connection ran like a current through me.

As I was working on the manuscript that would become The Sexual Politics of Meat, I came upon a 19th-century reference to “animalized protein.” In other words, all protein is plant protein; we can either eat it directly or process it through animals. The question for me became: what should we call dairy or eggs? Recognizing that these “foods” require the reproductive slavery of female animals, I understood that they needed to be named in this 10 fashion as well. So I coined the term “feminized protein.” Female animal bodies process plant protein for us; we

require their reproductive abuse for cow’s milk or eggs to exist. And once, named and understood, my veganism became inevitable. And so, my feminist-veganism/vegan-feminism braided together and delivered me into both a book and my life.

What is your relationship to the term “ecofeminist?” Do you see it as an inherently pacifist way of thinking, and why or why not?

I first heard the word “ecofeminism” in Mary Daly’s feminist ethics class in the fall of 1974. She had been in France that summer and met Françoise d’Eaubonne. In class, Mary translated sections of d’Eaubonne’s book, Le féminisme ou la mort, for us. The book introduced the term “ecofeminism” and discussed how patriarchy was killing the earth.

As I wrote worked on The Sexual Politics of Meat, I thought of myself as contributing to feminist theory. When the book appeared in 1990, it immediately was labeled as “ecofeminist.” While I wasn’t going to disavow this label, I felt it allowed feminists who weren’t concerned with ecological issues to ignore my book. When I first conceived it, it was to be a book that helped feminists recognize the need for feminist theory to include other animals in its formulation. I felt the term “ecofeminism” gave feminists an “out” for not dealing with this challenge.

I love ecofeminism; it is a term that encompasses diverse and vital activisms and theory around the globe. It offers the intersection of theory and praxis. Central to ecofeminism is the rejection of dualisms, the formulation of a philosophical understanding of empathy, and the need for praxis.

I would be uncomfortable saying it is inherently pacifist for several reasons. First, ecofeminism is a contextual ethic; it is does not prescribe universalist absolutes.

I think the way I would say it is we are trying to do the least harm possible. For instance, I strongly believe women must have access to abortion. I have written about this in Neither Man nor Beast. When I was editing Ecofeminism and the Sacred, I recognized that unless I included something explicitly about abortion, the assumption might be that ecofeminists were anti-abortion (because of stereotypes of both spirituality and ecofeminism).

Whether abortion is violence or not, and some say it is and some say it isn’t, I trust women to make the decision about their own bodies and whether they should continue a pregnancy or not.

To me ecofeminism is dynamic, engaged, resistant to the dominant culture with a vision of how to change, maintaining a dialogue between feminist concerns and ecological/environmental concerns that recognizes we can’t talk about one with the other, and in the midst of both, we need to place the experience of the other animals.

In the introduction to our new anthology, Ecofeminism: Feminist Intersections with Other Animals and the Earth, Lori Gruen and I write: “Ecofeminism addresses the various ways that sexism, heteronormativity, racism, colonialism, and ableism are informed by and support speciesism and how analyzing the ways these forces intersect can produce less violent, more just practices. In the 1990s, ecofeminists worked to remedy a perceived problem in feminist theory, animal advocacy, and environmentalism, namely, a lack of attention to the intersecting structures of power that reinforce the ‘othering’ of women and animals, and contribute to the increasing destruction of the environment. Though sometimes called ‘utopian’ or ‘concerned with too many issues,’ ecofeminist theory exposes and opposes intersecting forces of oppression, showing how problematic it is when these issues are considered separate from one another. This approach also identifies the shortcomings with mainstream ‘animal rights’ treatments of speciesism.” Lori and I note, later, in the first chapter, “Groundwork” that “The emerging field of Animal Studies grows out of, at least in part, feminist and ecofeminist theory. But this background and history is often ignored or distorted in many discussions of animal studies. The result is not only the disappearance of ecofeminism, but the appropriation of ecofeminist ideas in which embodied authorship disappears.”

11

Toward the end of that chapter, we say, “Theoretical work in ecofeminism identifies the interconnected structures of normative dualisms, highlights the ways that such dualisms facilitate oppression and misrecognition, and draws out both conceptual and practical connections between injustice towards non-dominant individuals and groups. In practice, ecofeminists work in solidarity with those struggling against gender oppression, racism, homophobia and transphobia, environmental injustice, colonialism, speciesism, and environmental destruction.

In both theory and practice, ecofeminists imagine different social relations are possible and encourage work to achieve peace and justice for all.”

So, as you can see, my relationship with the term spans the time from when I was a graduate student forty years ago up to this very moment, when the final proofs for this new Ecofeminism anthology are waiting my attention.

I’m very excited about this new book!

Do you see ideas within the Sexual Politics of Meat that relate to racialized minorities, LGBTQ individuals, or other marginalized groups?

Yes, because that is how I intentionally wrote it. And I know from activists that this is how they read it and use it. In politicizing a literary concept, “the absent referent,” I provided a way to understand the process of objectification, fragmentation, and consumption that is brought against other animals and non-dominant humans. The structure of the absent referent hides, denies, and misnames violent relationships as normative. Thus, it provides a way for talking about other oppressive forces, for instance, in “The Sexual Politics of Sneakers: “Common Ground” and Absent-Referent Stories in the Nike Debate” David M. Boje argues that the workers in sweatshops are the absent referents in labor disputes.

The concept of the absent referent also provides an approach to discussing interconnected oppressions. Understanding how the absent referent works, we can watch for the way that prejudices based on species are used to express racism, misogyny, homophobia, and ableism.

I have heard from lots of animal activists who found that my book provided confirmation for them that their activism was a social justice activism that intersects with other social justice activisms. And I have heard from activists around human rights and justice for marginalized groups, that my book provided a way to make connections.

Can you talk about where pets exist within the hierarchy of species? Do you think there is a need for pet owning animal lovers to justify their owning of other animals?

I don’t think of my self as a “pet owner.” I see myself as someone who chooses to live with companion animals, both of whom are rescue dogs.

Lori Gruen talks about entangled empathy, recognizing the many ways we are in relationship with others. This entangled empathy exists not just towards other humans but other animals too. It is not a hierarchy. We live in relationships that honor and respect and support another being.

I do not believe anyone should buy companion animals, whether directly from breeders, or in other ways support the business of breeding “purebreds”, etc. That is a hierarchy of possession and accumulation regardless of the costs to the animals themselves.

The Ecofeminism anthology I referred to earlier contains several articles that explore and respond to the kinds of relationships we have and might have with the other animals.

12

What other feminist theorists do you find your work to be in conversation with?

Oh my gosh, lots! Feminist theorists I read in the 1970s, feminist theorists who have written since then, and especially ecofeminist animal theorists…. I see myself also in dialogue with artists and poets and fiction writers.

Can you talk a little about the exhibition for the Sexual Politics of Meat’s 25th anniversary...or is it too soon?

I asked Kathryn Eddy, one of the curators for the exhibit to describe what is being planned: “An art exhibition is currently being organized that will explore the impact and influence of ecofeminist Carol J. Adams,’ The Sexual Politics of Meat, on the work of 15 American and International artists. This exhibition, curated by Kathryn Eddy, Janell O’Rourke, Abbie Rogers, and LA Watson, aims to not simply illustrate the ideas found in the book but instead, highlight how artists internalize theory and create original work as a result. The exhibition will open in May of 2015 at the National Museum of Animals and Society. A full color catalogue of images and essays will be published.”

I am so excited and honored by this exhibit! And I am thrilled that you will be a part of it.

I want to say something about learning to trust one’s creative self. Back in the 1980s as I worked on the manuscript that became The Sexual Politics of Meat, I realized that I wasn’t finding anything that explained precisely how I saw the world. My liberation as a writer came when I thought, “Well, then I’ll have to make it up.” I love that I trusted myself enough to know that I had to do it and that I could do it. And that’s what I started to do. I think my affinity for literary criticism and literature rather than philosophy helped here. There was a freedom I experienced working with novels and thinking about alternate worlds, fictional selves, authorial vision. Even though the first edition of the book carried few images, those were sufficient to spark connections among a variety of readers who since that time (now almost 25 years ago), have sent me representations that illustrate my arguments and representations that bring a feminist-vegan viewpoint to challenge the sexual politics of meat.

I feel so lucky that my book, which took fifteen years to write, has touched others and affirmed their creative approaches to the world.

My younger self who had to believe in something that didn’t yet exist would be thrilled to know that in trusting her vision and eventually completing her book, her work could serve as a catalyst for others!

What does your utopic world look like?

I just don’t think about a utopic world, except to say that it is centered on relationships of non-harming, of not instrumentalizing others, where others are not means to our ends.

At this point, I think my vision is more about the process of getting there, and that process has to contain the same praxis of non-harming and being centered on relationships that would characterize any utopia.

13

14

15

PETA Tactics: A Critique PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an animal rights organization, known for their extremist tendencies. One of my biggest problems with PETA is their use of naked people, usually women, within their advertisements. Their advertisements do little to convert people to veganism, and instead focus on shock value by using images of dead animals and naked women. These images take away the subjecthood of the individual by using their bodies as a spectacle. While they make respectable strides within the animal rights movement, the organization tends to have an unwelcoming demeanor towards outsiders, meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

I recently saw Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA, speak at Brown University. I’d like to take this time to analyze the response I got from her during the Q & A: Me: Hi, can you talk about PETA’s use of sexually objectified women in their advertisements, and why it’s necessary?

Ingrid Newkirk: “I can talk about the use of women. I don’t consider them sexually objectified, but I defer that you may. I’m 64, and I can’t imagine anybody would think, “Whoa, I wanna have sex with her!” And yet, I take off my clothes because I consider that my body is a tool that I have, and that I have the right of any woman, whether she fits the stereotype or she doesn’t, has the right to take off her clothes or not, if she chooses. And what I find objectionable is the certain wave feminist, is other women or men telling women not to take their clothes off because there’s something shameful or wrong with it, or they’re being objectified. They’re free! They’re volunteers. They want to do it. No one’s got their arm behind their back. And to me it smacks of Afghanistan, or something, or an older time here, when our fathers and our brothers and our boyfriends used to say, “Make sure you’re, you know, you’re showing too much leg. You’re showing too much cleavage.” You know, that’s up to women to decide, and I think that if women want to do that, just leave them in peace. It’s sex, and it’s sexual, but it’s not sexism in my book, but that’s just my opinion. Thank you.”

Me: Well it’s not mine.

16

First of all, I want it to be known that much of my work focuses on the objectification of both women and animals. It is a difficult subject, but is especially difficult when discussing it with other feminists who disagree or consider getting naked to be empowering. This is not to say that it cannot be empowering for the individual, but what I am interested in is the larger picture of hierarchical social structures, particularly of gender in this case. Why does it take a woman getting naked to feel empowered?

Unfortunately, just because one person may feel empowered by getting naked does not mean there aren’t other people looking at them as objects.

In bringing up Afghanistan, I presume she was speaking of women’s clothing, and that just points out a lack of cultural sensitivity and the consideration that many women also feel empowered by wearing a burqa as an Islamic tradition. It is not our job to tell them they are doing women’s rights wrong and that showing more skin is empowering because we say so.

The sexual liberation movement in the U.S. began in the 60s as a freeing way to express oneself sexually, whether it be through dress, open homosexuality, or the approval of birth control. I believe in the power of sexual freedom, of course, but I recognize its takeover by the media to have exploitative tendencies. Nudity and sexism within advertisements has become the norm, especially with the use of sexually objectified women.

If one considers one’s body to be a tool, then does that not already objectify it in some way? This kind of normalized feminism has become popular today within celebrity circles as a way to use one’s feminine body as a means for popularity.

“Whether she fits the sterotypes or not” is peculiar to me, considering that the majority of women used in PETA ads do fit the popular ideal of thin, white, and having large breasts. PETA even uses Playboy models within their campaigns.

Newkirk says that these advertisements are “sex, and…sexual, but…not sexism.” I wish I could have retaliated, because I would have asked her what she thinks sex has to do with animal rights in the first place. PETA hosts websites such as Milk Gone Wild, as a pornographic parody that is far removed from animal rights. It comes off as uncomfortable sexist humor, with women lifting their shirts to reveal rubber utters. This is not serving to help neither women nor cows.

17

An Interview with Hannah Monroe

Hannah Monroe studied Sociology and Anthropology at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and is currently an environmental educator at the Apeiron Institute for Sustainable Living in Providence, RI. Her Thesis, Animals, Children’s Books, and the Social Construction of Gender, analyzes the roles that children’s books play in socialization around animals and gender.

Her work focuses on ecofeminism and “believing that there are core oppressions within hierarchical and dualistic thinking and working to deconstruct those discourses around multiple issues.” Her definition of an ecofeminist is something who tries their best to work within multiple issues at once, such as animal rights and human rights. Additionally, her identity as a Quaker influences her place in activism, as she believes in working towards rights that will not infringe on anyone’s else’s rights.

With Hannah’s thesis work, she explored how human views about animals influence our views about gender. She applied these theories to observations of popular children’s books containing animals, finding that “we equate animals with nature and we equate nature with morality, so when we portray animals as doing certain things like gender or being heteronormative, it really reinforces those discourses of hegemonic views about gender and sexuality in society.”

Some children’s literature that stood out in Hannah’s research:

Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

18

Pug Dog by Andrea U’Ren

In Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

In addition to gender, she finds connections to race and sexuality within ecofeminism. “Animals create this weird situation where you have these portrayals that people overlook because they assume it doesn’t have anything to do with humans, but it actually does have a lot to do with humans. So then these messages are able to slip through the cracks and not really be noticed. There are a lot of books and movies—especially children’s movies who have characters who portray racial stereotypes and project these messages that children are picking up on.”

Hannah sees a connection between the treatment of racial minorities and LGBTQ identifying individuals with that of animals. If personified animals are treated differently based on their racial or sexual affiliations, then it is likely that children will pick up on that. Although many people now recognize the wrongs of human prejudices, many of them still see animals as being inferior and allow this to justify treating them badly. She advocates for deconstructing the discourse that allows difference to be a leading factor of any oppression.

Hannah sees ecofeminism as being aware of many issues, and that saying “that everybody needs to be vegan is really short sighted and problematic and privileged.” Food intake is not just about animal rights, but about race, class, sexuality, and other factors as well. She uses the example of someone who may live in Alaska, and how it would be unjust to attempt to convert them to veganism if they must survive by killing animals for food.

In her research, Hannah has studied feminist theorists like Carol Adams and Sherry Ortner. While she is a definite fan of Carol Adams, she sees Ortner’s work as being somewhat outdated, although she did put down some of the basic ecofeminist arguments. Although she may disagree with some feminist thinkers of the past, she doesn’t dislike second wave feminists because we would not be where we are today if it were not for them. It’s our job to recognize the past, and to progress with the newly gained knowledge of our generation.

Hannah’s favorite vegan recipes can be found in the Vegan With a Vengeance cookbook. She loves making chocolate cookies, ginger cookies, vegan pizza, and fried tofu. Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog of hers called Feminist Animals.

19

Companion Species I have a 5 year old Chihuahua, Winnie, who was brought into my life when she was only a few months old. I don’t know if it’s right to say that I own her, but she is certainly a best friend and a companion. I am aware that in her life-long dependence on me for food, shelter, and caring, I am in a position of control, and sit on a hierarchical chair as she watches me from below. On Mother’s Day this year, my facebook status read “Happy Mother’s day to those with furry babies too!” At the same time, I was reading Donna Haraway’s Companion Species Manifesto, a pamphlet of feminist theory centered around human and dog relationships.

Haraway states that “Contrary to lots of dangerous and unethical projection in the Western world that makes domestic canines into furry children, dogs are not about oneself. Indeed, that is the beauty of dogs. They are not a projection, not the realization of an intention, nor the telos of anything” (11). My status was in no way meant to encourage anyone to treat their dogs exactly how a child would be raised. I am quite aware that my dog is not a human child. I think the furry child thing is about seeing “pets” as not being below the human species, but I do recognize that the term “child” does denote a lower role in the human realm. The fairest way to think about one’s animal is as a companion. Haraway takes her argument further in saying that “To regard a dog as a furry child, even metaphorically, demeans dogs and children—and sets up children to be bitten and dogs to be killed” (37). This is where I may have to draw the line. While I do believe in the power of language to dictate social understandings of the world, I do not know if using this particular phrase can cause specific instances of biting or killing. My dog is not friendly with small children, so I would never allow her to be in a situation where she was hanging out with kids as if she was one of them.

“Generally speaking, one does not eat one’s companion animal (nor get eaten by them); and one has a hard time shaking colonialist, ethnocentric, ahistorical attitudes toward those who do (eat or get eaten)” (14). While many people may rationalize the eating of animals, they would never consider eating animals that have been domesticated like dogs or cats. As far as the hierarchy of species goes, the silent consensus is that farm animals exist for food production, and pets exist to protect, comfort, hunt, etc. Additionally, human beings do not see fit the possibility of other animals to consume us, as we are taught to believe we exist at the top of the food chain. Some people may love dogs, but “recommend killing an aggressive rescue dog or any dog who has bitten a child” (36).

While the safety of a child is undoubtedly important, this is still engaging in speciesism by using human power to control other animals.

“Man took the (free) wolf and made the (servant) dog and so made civilization possible” (28). Working dogs who are used as tools for humans, such as sheep dogs, police dogs, or racing dogs, are living an unchosen life of duty.

This is not unlike carriage horses or circus elephants. Although the human-animal relationship may be strong within these jobs, these animals are being used as tools to entertain humans and to make money for humans.

20

I think those unsaid conventional rules that people have about companion animals are incredibly limiting to the individual expression of each animal. One-time obedience classes are based on “…inconsistent training and dishonest evaluations of what is actually happening,” (46) and not considering the desires of the individual dogs.

When I think about dog training classes, I can’t help but think of the capitalistic connotations in the fact that they are all being taught to obey commands based on the hopes of receiving treats. Dogs who fit into this idea of obedience are seen as well-behaved while those with less strict humans have more freedoms and choice. This of course, can get pretty complex, because I also have my limits. I know that if I let Winnie off of her leash outside, she will run around, sniffing and playing until she tires herself out and decides to come back to me. To be unleashed is more freeing than to be leashed, but I maintain a valid fear that she will run into the road. In taking her in, I believe it is my responsibility to insure her safety.

Gendered projections onto animals can really bug me sometimes, like when I see boys and girls sweaters separated at the pet store. Then again, it is difficult to choose what kind of style to select when I’m just trying to keep my pup warm in the winter. I try to stick with what is practical, on sale, and yes, cute. I understand the complexities of the unequal relationships that humans have with their companion animals, and I can only hope to combat some of those with my own dog, but she will always be my baby girl.

Haraway, Donna. The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness. Chicago: Prickly Paradigm, 2003.

21

Ringling Abuse

I recently took part in a protest against the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Although the circus may include zebras, tigers, horses, lions, goats, and llamas, the main focus of this protest was on the safety of the circus elephants.

There is evidence of elephant abuse within the Ringling circus circulating online. It shows the animals being whipped and beaten with bullhooks right before performing.

Even if it were not for the abuses of these animals, none of them should live their lives existing solely for the entertainment of people. These individual animals do not have the choice of whether or not to be in the circus; it is a captivity that is not much different than that of zoo animals or dolphins and whales at parks like Seaworld.

The day after I attended the protest, a group of 8 women performing in the show fatally fell during a suspended act called the human chandelier, in which they were hanging from a apparatus by only their hair. Not two seconds after the curtain was unveiled did they plummet to the ground, landing on a man below. Two of the women have suffered severe spinal cord injuries and are undergoing treatment at the hospital in Providence. Suddenly my feelings for the elephants grew further into empathizing for the human performers as well.

So this is where it got complicated for me. After the accident, there were still a number of animal rights activists who wanted to continue the protest, even though the rest of the shows ended up being cancelled. Protesting after the accident would surely be seen as disrespectful, but I do think there is a point to be made of the failures of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey to insure the safety of their human and non-performers. While the rights of elephants being forced to perform are incredibly important, the people injured in this show were hurt far more than the animals. This is not to discredit the amount of suffering these animals see throughout their lives, but this was a special case. The difference here is that while these people have the right to choose to perform, elephants are torn from their mothers and forced to live their lives as performers without consent. If anything, I think adding the need for safety nets in the circus to the agenda would be a step towards considering the well-beingw of both human and non-human performers. After all, human rights are animal rights.

22

23

Food Choice

I believe that one of the most important feminist values is the notion of choice. The choice to work or not. The choice to reproduce or not. The choice of who to sleep with or not. The choice to partake in typical gender roles or not. The choice of how to identify. The list goes on. Another one to add to the list is the choice of what food we consume.

I consider choosing veganism to be a definite proactive choice. It is a personal means of nourishment that derives from goals of compassion, but I also understand it as a lifestyle that tends to resist the Standard American Diet. The American Diet is heavy in animal-derived protein and dairy products, which relates considerably to the number one killer in the country—heart disease. High cholesterol is a definite risk factor to heart disease, and cholesterol cannot be derived from plant foods. Lower income neighborhoods tend to have a larger population of fast food restaurants, and a lack of healthier produce providers such as farmer’s markets. Thus, those with lower incomes are more susceptible to contract a disease due to poor diet.

The 2013 USDA Household Food Security study found that “Rates of food insecurity were substantially higher than the national average for households with incomes near or below the Federal poverty line, households with children headed by single women or single men, and Black and Hispanic households.” To be food secure, one must have access to dependable sources of sufficient food. The amount of food to survive on is necessary, but so is the quality of the food. The majority of cheap food found in fast food places contains some kind of animal product, not to mention GMOs and preservatives. The lack of healthy food choices amongst these communities is a human rights violation.

24

A great deal of the world’s food is dominated by corporations who basically decide what we can eat.

Although Whole Foods may have healthier options than a standard grocery store, it is still a corporation that people shop at to buy into a lifestyle of someone who eats only “organic” or “natural” foods. With more widely dispersed local farms and gardens we would all be more in control. For one to know how to go about these things, they must be brought to awareness through education. It is our collective duty to make sure the food we are eating will provide nourishment for our bodies and not disease. One way you can help is by boycotting products that are owned by the Monsanto Company, the leading producer of genetically modified foods. Or, you can take to the streets on May 24th for the March Against Monsanto, happening in cities all around the world.

I find veganism to be an empowering choice that allows me to be in control of what I consume. Although vegetarians may be discriminated against in society, it is important to remember that to be able to have a diet rich in fresh plant foods is a privilege. I recognize it as a privilege that comes from complexities of financial class, race, geographic location, and/or education. I am grateful that I have the means to be able to consume a diet of my own choosing, and I find it vital to not try to convert others but rather to educate them. Everyone should have the power of choice when it comes to what they want to put into their bodies, and I find it can be an incredibly personal choice.

Colemen-Jensen, Alisha, Mark Nord, and Anita Singh. “Household Food Security in the United States.” United States Department of Agriculture. N.p., 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err155.aspx#.

U3A8uP28FG4>. http://www.realfarmacy.com/printable-list-of-monsanto-owned-food-producers/

25

Vegan Tacos!

Calabaza con Mole Verde or Zucchini with Green Sauce As a vegan, recognizing ownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own cultural connections to food can be very important.

For example, going to a traditional Mexican restaurant for me means me having to ask if there is lard in the beans, chicken stock in the rice, butter in the potatoes, and for no cheese please. Being able to cook my own food by tweaking traditional recipes and cooking purely plant based dishes is a way for me to enjoy the best of both worlds.

I hope you enjoy my simple take on Calabaza con mole verde!

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. olive oil or water 2 zucchinis 1 c. plain cashews 1 8oz. jar tomatillo salsa 1 jalapeĂąo 3 garlic cloves 1.5 c. cilantro, chopped 1 tsp. cumin salt and pepper to taste corn or flour tortillas hot sauce (optional) 26

Directions: Begin by pouring olive oil (or water if you want to be healthier) in a medium saucepan.

Put burner on medium, and cut zucchini as you wait for it to heat. I like to cut slices on the diagonal to get longer pieces. When oil/water is hot, place zucchini slices flat in the pan, and layer them if you have to. Let those begin to get soft, and grab a blender or food processor.

Blend up the your favorite tomatillo salsa with cashews, jalapeño, garlic, and 1 cup of cilantro. Here the creaminess or chunkiness depends on your preference. If you don’t want to bite on the cashews, blend until smooth. If you’d like some chunks in there, don’t blend too much. I personally like it creamier, with juuust a little bit of cashew crunch. Add the cumin along with salt and pepper to taste. Once your mole verde is at your preferred consistency, pour it over the zucchini in the pan, and carefully fold the sauce into the squash.

The thing with zucchini is that there is a fine cooking line between a firm texture to totally translucent and squishy. Allow the sauce to cook with the zucchini until you just start to see a couple pieces becoming translucent. Stir on occasion. While this is finishing up, it’s a good time to heat up your tortillas.

Take your calabaza off the heat and finish by sprinkling the remaining cilantro over the dish. Serve in corn or flour tortillas and top with hot sauce if you like it extra spicy. Enjoy! *Warning - This is a pretty spicy dish! If you can’t take the heat, use mild tomatillo salsa and leave out the jalapeño and hot sauce.

Yield: 6-8 servings

27

Thanks for reading Vegan-Feminist Perspectives. All work is of my making unless noted otherwise. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so glad I could share these ideas with you and I invite you to take part in this dialogue by emailing me at suzy@suzygonzalez.com. suzygonzalez.com 28