Illustration: Tenderly

How to Write Like a Vegan Activist

I’m ending my 5 excuses for being quiet about my vegan ethics

When I was seven, I wanted to be a writer. By 13, I aspired to become a vegan activist. At 27, I’m finally writing, but I’m still figuring out the helping animals part. If you are a fellow animal-lover finding your voice, I hope sharing my story — and how I’m overcoming excuses I made for not doing activism — will help.

Only a small amount of what I’ve written so far has been earnest advocacy for animal rights or welfare. I’ve danced cautiously around animal topics, but I know writing about them is important to me:

• As my effective altruist friend would remind me, veganism has potential to reduce a very large amount of suffering. The farmed and wild animal populations impacted by our food system are vaster than I can comprehend.
• I’ve wanted to help “broaden our circle of compassion.” I believe in human rights causes just as strongly, but animal issues uniquely beckon me. I’m called by the opportunity to overcome speciesism and other ideological limits that exclude billions of beings from our empathy. I want to see human hearts open to care deeply for all creatures’ wellbeing.
• When I picture myself at the end of life and wonder if I’ll have regrets, I can see myself thinking “I wish I…