The Gay Vegans

25 years vegan

I suppose if you stay vegan and don’t die, you add up years of being vegan.

This month I celebrate 25 years being vegan.

My reason in going vegan was all about animal cruelty and animal exploitation. I no loner wanted to participate in that. Even though I constantly talked about how much I loved animals, at least three times a day I supported the absolute worse treatment of animals simply by eating a meal.

It wasn’t easy back in 1996 in Norfolk, Virginia, and looking back I’m grateful for a lot while two things stand out.

First, I met a co-worker who was vegan and taught plenty, while not making me feel like I was the lowest scum of the earth for not being vegan.

Second, I started being invited to vegan potlucks where I tasted super delish vegan food. This made me want to try cooking, something I had only played around with before.

The world is different and the options for vegans and for those considering veganism are endless. I love typing a dish I want to make into a search engine and getting a dozen plus options of how to make it vegan. And I really love the variety of restaurants I can go to, especially here in the Los Angeles area, and eat delicious food to my hearts’ content.

If you have been considering going vegan, check out our list of helpful blogs and websites. From nutrition to recipes to fitness, I think there is something for everyone.

Lastly, I’d like to send big love to all of you, both individuals and organizations, who were so incredibly supportive of someone trying to go vegan back in 1995.

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.

5 comments

  1. John Franzén says:

    That’s great Dan! Nowadays Vegan food is commonplace in most restaurants too, or at least they will try to fix something for you if there’s nothing on the Menu. Compared to 10 or 20 years ago when going out to eat meant chewing on lettuce and tomatoes! 🙂

  2. Javan Torres says:

    Love it all Dan! Thanks for sharing!

  3. Great post! I am a 6 week old vegan, just started and loving it! Why didn’t I do this earlier??? By the way, I am from Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA! Thanks for having this blog, I am enjoying it!

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