Vegans are Terrified of This
But we need to get over it
Last week, I needed advice from fellow vegan content creators. I’d finished a video called “The Rise of Anti-Vegan Fascism,” and wanted feedback on the thumbnail before releasing it to YouTube, so I sent my draft to our Social Media Group Chat.
Their reaction took me by surprise:
“Change the title, fascism is overused by The Left.”
“You’re going to alienate anyone who doesn’t agree with your political ideology.”
“It’s too political, veganism and politics should be separate.”
As someone who works on political animal rights campaigns, at first I thought this was absurd.
How can we expect real change for animals if we don’t get political?
Think about every significant social justice achievement in American history. The abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, civil rights, labor protections, LGBTQ+ equality – none of these happened through "non-political" advocacy.
But as I listened more carefully to the vegans’ concerns, I realized that they weren’t really afraid of getting political. They were wary of spreading ourselves too thin, of losing focus on the animals, and of alienating half the population.
"What about conservative vegans?" they asked. "Why limit our movement to just progressives?"
It's a fair question. The standard wisdom in animal rights has always been that veganism is for everyone: conservatives and liberals alike. That we should keep the tent as big as possible.
After all, animals trapped in cages don’t care about your political affiliation.
The Myth of Political Neutrality
But here’s the problem: veganism is already political.
It always has been.
Every time a vegan speaks up for animals, they're making a political statement about who deserves moral consideration. Every time we push for cage-free laws or ag-gag bans, we're engaging in politics.
The meat industry certainly understands this. They spend millions lobbying Congress, funding candidates, and fighting animal welfare initiatives.
They don't pretend their work is apolitical - so why should we?
The Bipartisan Fantasy
The dream of a bipartisan animal rights movement is seductive. Wouldn't it be wonderful if concern for animals transcended the political divide?
It's worth noting that historically, major social movements weren't neatly divided along today's partisan lines. The abolition movement found support from religious Whigs and early Republicans. Suffragists spanned the political spectrum. Even civil rights legislation in the 1960s required votes from both Democrats and Republicans to overcome Southern Democratic opposition.
However, what these movements shared wasn't non-partisanship, but a willingness to stake out clear moral positions that disrupted the political status quo. They didn't win by avoiding politics: they won by changing the political landscape entirely, often forcing parties to evolve or lose power. They made their moral positions so clear that eventually, politicians from various backgrounds had to respond.
Unfortunately, the data tells a different story about animal rights. A 2018 Gallup poll found that only 2% of Republicans identified as vegetarian, compared to 11% of Democrats.
When we look at policies, the pattern continues: Republican-dominated states are rushing to ban cultured meat, while Democrat-led states are more likely to pass animal welfare reforms.
Even in Pro-Animal Future’s polling, we found that conservatives (especially the men) were much less likely to support our policies.
In the US Senate, there are only two vegans, and they’re both Democrats.
This doesn't mean there aren't conservative vegans. There absolutely are, and they play a valuable role in reaching audiences that progressives can't. But pretending that both sides are equally receptive to animal rights is wishful thinking.
The Cost of Neutrality
When we avoid political engagement out of fear of alienating conservatives, we pay a price:
We limit our tactics - Policy change, legal action, and institutional reform become off-limits.
We miss allies - Many potential vegans are politically engaged people who care deeply about justice. When we avoid politics, we lose them.
We cede ground to our opponents - While we stay "neutral," the meat industry is actively shaping policy against animal interests.
Most importantly, the animals pay the price for our caution.
Every day we wait for perfect consensus is another day billions of animals suffer in torture factories.
Moving Forward Without Leaving People Behind
So how do we make veganism more political without completely alienating conservatives?
Focus on systemic change, not identity - Talk about corrupt industry practices, regulatory capture, and corporate welfare rather than making it about conservative vs. liberal identity.
Connect with conservative values - Principles like personal responsibility, fairness, family values, and skepticism of big government can align with veganism when framed properly.
Be honest about the obstacles - Acknowledge that the meat industry has captured many conservative politicians, but emphasize that this is corporate influence, not inherent to conservative philosophy. Big Meat controls democrats, too.
Create space for conservative vegans - Amplify conservative vegan voices who can speak to their communities in ways progressives can't.
The question isn't "Can veganism be bipartisan?" The question is: "Can we afford to pretend that politics doesn't matter when animals are being tortured by the billions?"
While we debate whether animal rights should be political, 80-100 billion land animals and trillions of aquatic animals are suffering in systems designed to maximize profit at the expense of their most basic needs. The mechanisms that keep them trapped are political: subsidies, regulations, lobbying, campaign contributions.
That’s why we’re focusing on politics at Pro-Animal Future. From running bold ballot initiatives to organizing voter blocs, we’re building political power for animals because they can't vote, lobby, or donate, but we can.
The animals are counting on us, and the time for political action is now.
What I’m Reading: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games like me, then you’ll want to read this book, but I’ll warn you that it’s one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read. Set 24 years before the original series, it tells the story of Haymitch and his experience in the quarter quell.
There are a few parallels to animal rights: Haymitch often complains that he’s treated “like an animal,” and the games are similar to bullfighting or dog fighting. The Capitol exploits citizens in the districts like our society exploits animals.
I don’t typically recommend fiction because I don’t often read it, but it felt nice to escape into a different world for a few days (even if that world was terrifying).
My Latest Video: The Rise of Anti-Vegan Fascism
Until next time,
Natalie
Veganism supersedes all branches of politics and, of course, religion.
I like this. I think you’ve nailed it. We need to be highlighting the benefits of being vegan in terms that everyone can relate to. We need to stop bashing people about how wrong they are and show them there is an alternative. That’s hard though.
Believers can protect the work of their Creator by going vegan.
Businesspeople can take back some of the power from the mega corporations.
At a stretch, we could even highlight the peak of human superiority as being the fact we no longer need to consume a product resulting from torture and abuse. Not to mention the health benefits! Though we do need to be careful not to threaten their feeling of power and “primal instinct” to eat animals (that someone else killed for them).