Animals Matter

Celebrating World Vegan Day, returning to YouTube, and explaining how this newsletter got its name

No peacocks were harmed in the making of this photograph. (Lesley Bohm)

Hello, dear readers!

In June of 2021, I awoke one morning to an email from YouTube saying my channel had been removed for violating the Community Guidelines. To say I was shocked was a massive understatement. What content could have possibly breached these rules? My rhapsody on atheism? My jokes about the China National Space Administration? My silly explanation of supersymmetry?

The timing couldn’t have been worse — I was set to release my music video, “It’s Gonna Be Fine,” as part of L.A.’s Citywide COVID-19 Emergency Response Program: Reimagine Public Art.

I wrote frantic emails to the YouTube gods explaining that, per their stated policy, I’d never received any warning about my content and asked them to reinstate my channel. No response. I even took to Twitter to try and beg for help or at least forgiveness for my ignorance and the chance to right the wrong. Still nothing.

I realized I’d have to say goodbye to everything I’d built on YouTube, some of which, apparently, I didn’t have copies of in my files. Many of my best live performances had been lost to the ether. I called it a learning lesson, opened up a Vimeo account, and released the video, but I felt so discouraged that I never really invested in the platform.

Then, last week, out of the blue, I got an email from YouTube saying that one of my files might have been affected by an update. Out of curiosity, I clicked and found myself back at the form to dispute my channel cancellation. Once again, I explained what happened, and a few short hours later, I got another email saying that my account had been reinstated in full and apologizing for the mistake.

A year after its intended YouTube debut, here is “I Don’t Wanna Eat Animals,” written for World Vegan Day 2022.

We Are All Animals

The title of this newsletter was born from the ideas of two philosophers, Melanie Challenger and Rebecca Goldstein. Challenger’s excellent book “How to Be Animal” resonated with me as a long-time vegan, cat mom, and sustainability journalist. She argues that to save humanity from a climate-caused extinction event, we will have to reconnect with our animal selves — a formidable challenge, given that both Judeo-Christian and secular/humanist belief systems justify humanity’s dominion over all other species.

And that’s a question of mattering. As Goldstein submits:

If we’re going to presume that we matter and that others have to treat us as if we matter, either we think that we’re somehow ontologically special and the universe revolves around us — which is to be certifiably nuts — or we’re going to have to extend this modicum of mattering to other creatures like us.

It is this idea that I submit to you on World Vegan Day. If we are all animals, and we all matter, then all other animals matter, too. It’s a radical proposition, I know, but if we can shift how we think about ourselves in relation to other animals (human or otherwise), we can meaningfully tackle the climate crisis on a number of fronts.

And the best part? You don’t have to go vegan or even vegetarian to make more sustainable and compassionate food choices! If Americans ate half as much beef — just beef! — global food supplies could still support a population of 10 billion without the need for deforestation or agricultural expansion. Swapping half of animal-based foods for plant-based alternatives would provide the same positive climate effect as removing over 47 million carbon-emitting cars from the road.

In a world where so much about the climate emergency feels entirely out of our control, food is one area where we can make Earth- and animal-friendly choices while influencing others to take action, too (hint, hint!).

Learn More about Vegan and Sustainable Food

• What is the environmental impact of going vegan? — A deep dive into the science behind environmental veganism.

• What is a flexitarian diet? - Also called climavore or sustainavore diets, these flexible eating styles reduce your planetary impact without restricting your food choices.

• Understanding the sustainable seafood industry — Learn about the environmental effects of seafood and the certifications that ensure your meal is responsibly caught or farmed.

• Swole Planet — from my friend Ryan D. Andrews, this e-book tells you how to build a better body while building a better Earth.

• Questions? SEND ME AN EMAIL! I am always game to chat cruelty-free living!

Coming Up

In a few short hours, I’ll be under the knife again, this time for a second hip preservation surgery. This more aggressive procedure will reshape the bone deformity, repair the torn cartilage, and lengthen my psoas and IT band so my hip doesn’t continue to dislocate when I put all my weight on my right side. I have no plans for the next eight weeks except to heal myself… and look exceedingly glamorous while taking my wheelchair for a spin.

Some Goodies to Make You Smile

Sexpectations, the comedy series from my friends Jenna St. John and Kevin Good, has finally hit Apple TV. Catch me in episode 3 with a mop of red spiral curls.

Understanding role-to-role relationships from my friend Blair Glazer.

What to do when your doctor won’t listen from my friend Aileen Weintraub.

Ice plunging to meet your soulmate? Only in LA. From my friend Aubree Nichols.

When financial independence isn’t the goal from my friend Sara Murphy.

And don’t miss Tara Jean O’Brien in Santasia!

As obligate carnivores, Wamba and Giacomo aren't vegan, but they do love vegan food!

With lots of love from all the animals in our house. Thank you for reading!

Baci a tutti,

P.S. Thank you once again in advance for your healing vibes and understanding of my slowness in responding to messages.