My name is Jordan. I'm black, I'm queer, I'm a punk and I'm a vegan.
I'm also a drummer. My band is called Roadkill. We're punk and emphasize animal rights and veganism in our music.
I went vegetarian when I was 15 in 2012. I watched Paul McCartney's "If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls" video on YouTube which highlights the ethical side of vegetarianism. I went vegetarian immediately but was conscious that I wanted to go vegan because the video touched on the cruelty of dairy too, I just couldn't because I had no money for groceries. When I got a job last year, I knew I wanted to go vegan soon. I'd already made the switch to non-dairy milk and joined a bunch of vegan groups on Facebook, but that was about it. I lived off of chips and salsa for two weeks because I had no idea what vegans ate. I went on Pinterest and also watched YouTube videos and finally gathered enough information to switch to a plant based diet to the best of my knowledge and I did it! I just recently cut out all palm oil because I found out that it's not cruelty-free.
I am plant based for ethics 100%. The health benefits are just an upside.
But don't get me wrong, veganism isn't just about eating a plant based diet. It's about doing the best you can to not contribute to animal suffering, which is why I think that anyone who is against exploiting animals and does their personal best to not participate in exploitation and advocates for animals is a vegan.
I personally have a pretty severe case of social anxiety, so I don't do much advocacy in real life, I do most of it on social media. I may go partly freegan in the near future because it fits with my ethics more perfectly and I believe it's the more cruelty-free option. I also buy fair trade and second hand as much as possible because my veganism extends to humans as well.
I might seem extreme to some, but I don't always think the same way other mainstream vegans on social media think. I believe that we as vegans should be more inclusive because consumerism seems to be taking over the term, and I don't believe in all these pseudo-sciencey claims that tend to be believed by many vegans.
Some vegans I really enjoy watching on YouTube and that inspire me to think outside the box are Unnatural Vegan, Privileged Vegan and Abantu May.
I really hope someday to live in a vegan world. I believe we should do anything in our power to stop the slaughter, the captivity, the exploitation and the slavery.
#BVR
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @babegloss
Instagram: @angeldrip
Roadkill
Twitter: @roadkillsucks
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/RoadkillMO/?ref=bookmarks
Instagram: @roadkilltheband
Tumblr: roadkilltheband.tumblr.com
YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCoZ-DT6xKtlEUngsiFBk7qA
