VeganKatie
 F/25 vegan Saginaw, MI United States
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About Me: I beleive peace can only come with compassion and awareness, and I do what i can to be a part of that movement. I love life, reading, art, truth, writing, painting, music, beaches, children, animals, and love itself.
I am a "new-age Hippy" and happy to be one.
How I became a veggie: I've always had a soft spot for animals and therefore, the practice of not eating them. As a child i would go a few weeks here and there as a vegetarian, but then my mom would make a pot roast, and if i wanted dinner, id have to eat it. But as i grew older and more independent, and was finally ready to be responsible for my own health and moral decisions, i officially made the change to vegetarian.
Initially, it was because i could not disassociate the food i was eating from the animal itself. I would see a cow, not a hamburger, and it really grossed me out. But through research and time, i grew to learn the cruelty animals suffer and the rights that are never even given to so many of them, that it became about that for me as well.
After over five years as a vegetarian, and learning more and more about the suffering animals face not only in slaughterhouses, but on dairy farms, in chicken coops, etc, i realized the only right choice for me was to eliminate all animal products from my diet, and i became a vegan. I have stuck to a strict vegan diet for 5+ years now, making me altogether over ten years meat free.
Forcing or guilting someone into a veg lifestyle will never work, as it is a life-changing decision that each of us should make ourselves. By simply being a living example to others- showing the benefits this choice has made in my life, by being willing to explain and educate others around me of why i made my decision without demeaning their own choices, and standing up for animals everywhere- I hope to encourage anyone interesting in this lifestyle to try it out. Infact, I am the proud mother of a beautiful 7yr old little girl, who by her own decision, has been a vegetarian for over a year now.
I attended a "PETA2 take action conference" and was inspired to do more work in animal rights activism. I joined a local group in Tampa and did some tabling events, which was so rewarding. (After moving to Michigan however, ive yet to find a local group to join, so any help would be appreciated.) Ive also made sure to write local officials and sign petitions involving animal rights issues whenever i can.
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