PETA AU Global 2020 Issue 2

You’ve Got the Power A s Patrik points out, true strength isn’t about flexing bulging biceps – it’s about extending kindness, standing up to bullies, and putting your compassion into action. Exercise Your Animal Rights Udder Nonsense Once a week, my friends and I I U S E A F L A P •

For the Love of Tofu With visions of tofu pad Thai

So many athletes are going vegan after watching James Cameron’s documentary The Game Changers , I’ve started leaving PETA vegan starter kits at my gym and am helping family members and friends up their game by hosting Game Changers movie nights (with delicious vegan snacks, of course!). – Michelle Kretzer

occupy a local Starbucks to protest the chain’s upcharge on vegan milks – and we’ll keep at it until Starbucks wakes up and smells the coffee and stops charging people more for making animal- and eco-friendly choices. – Melanie Johnson

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and tofu tacos in her head, Carmen walked into the DMV to change her license plate to “ILVTOFU.” Well, it seems that the DMV folks had a different interpretation of her message and rejected it. When she shared the story online, it educated tons of people about the joys of eating vegan.

Car: © iStock.com/Maksim Rumiantsev • Runners: © iStock.com/gilaxia • Elephant: © iStock.com/Pansaa • Fist Bump: © iStock.com/ioanmasay

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There are a zillion ways to do this, starting with opening other people’s eyes, hearts, and minds. Here are a few real-life examples from caring people who thought, “ I can do that!” May they inspire you to take action, too. See how many ideas you can replicate or come up with on your own to get the word out every single day.

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Stick(er) Up for Animals I remember reading about the importance of animal rights bumper stickers, but

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Hundreds of wonderful victories for animals – from bans on animal circuses, foie gras, and fur to the closure of factory farms and laboratories – have occurred only because PETA supporters took action to show others that animals deserve respect.

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Tennessee

Maybe you can’t lift a car off the ground like Germany’s strongest man and self-described “vegan badass,” Patrik Baboumian, but you still have the strongest muscle in the human body: a heart!

Stop Cruelty! My niece saw this stop sign

I don’t have a car, so I improvised – with my bicycle! – Ashley Guy

in Brooklyn and thought it was a clever way to spread the word. Stickers like this one are available at PETA.org/Literature . – Chrissy Matthies

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Cut! I Stopped a Cruel Film A local movie theater was planning to show a movie featuring a captive

Make Birthdays Count

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Naked Bike Rider! Every year, Seattle holds a summer solstice festival that kicks off with a huge naked bike ride. I realized that it would be a great time to express my animal rights views! – Zachary Toliver

My sister asked me to go vegan for her birthday in lieu of buying her a present. I agreed – and I’m still vegan more than two decades later! Now, I suggest that others go vegan when they ask me what I want for my birthday. – Joel Bartlett

No Betta Blues I organized a “Take the Betta Test” demonstration with another activist. We gave passersby a dollar to stand in a cramped space for three minutes while watching PETA’s investigative video about betta fish. The footage shows that the fish are

Alpha Activist Lots of stores have alphabet letters for sale. I like to rearrange them to leave a pro-animal message,

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Lemonade Stand for Animals

elephant and promoting animal circuses, so I wrote to the theater’s managers to let them know about the abusive training methods used in movies and circuses. They

such as “END DISSECTION” or whatever there are enough letters to spell out! – Heidi Parker

After my grandmother showed me a video of animals being saved using oxygen masks, I set up lemonade stands and raised enough money to buy three animal oxygen masks for my local fire department. – Carly Gray

responded right away to say that they didn’t know about this issue and would cancel the screening and show a different film! – Nirali Shah

displayed on store shelves in small see through bags. “They’re little pouches of suffering,” one participant said. – Victoria

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POWER TO THE PEOPLE