Barefoot Vegan Mag Jan_Feb 2017

involved in the dairy industry in particular that made the
light bulbs in my head start to go off.
I learned that in order to produce milk, a cow must be
kept pregnant and lactating, a process carried out by
restraining her in a head stall and artificially inseminating
her; that shortly after birth, calves are torn away from their
mothers, who bellow for several weeks with grief; that dairy
cows are hooked up to milking machines—after suffering
the agonising ordeal of having their horns and, on occasion,
excess teats cut off with scissors solely for aesthetic reasons;
that mastitis—the inflammation of
the mammary glands—is the most
common affliction affecting dairy
cows around the world and causes
them severe pain; that this relentless
cycle of forced endless pregnancy,
birthing, and lactation puts so much
pressure on the reproductive systems
of cows that they become spent—
verging on dead at around four to five
years of age, whereas naturally they
would live for a couple of decades.
It was this moment that the
connections between feminism and
animal rights became obvious: how
could I call for my own reproductive autonomy while
actively supporting the assault on female non-human
animals’ reproductive systems through the consumption of
dairy? As Shy Buba wrote on The Vegan Woman blog, “It’s
contrary to feminism to defend one type of female body
while using and abusing another.”
Fighting Back or Fighting Ourselves?
Over the years, I’ve been involved with both
mainstream gay, lesbian, bisexual and sex and/or
gender diverse communities, as well as alternative
queer groups. Within both communities, there are
passionate individuals and groups campaigning
against one or more forms of oppression while
perpetuating other forms. For example, the rise of
“black face” and other modes of appropriation of
native cultures by white performers in queer feminist
...One of the more
confronting aspects of sacred
activism is learning to love
and forgive the perpetrators
of oppression, cruelty, and
horrendous injustices.
circles; sexism, racism, and misogyny within the
animal rights movement; and speciesism in the
majority of campaigns for human rights.
It both breaks my heart and frustrates me when my
queer, feminist friends and colleagues speak out so
passionately about homophobia, sexism or racism in >
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