I can now officially say that I’ve had the delightful honor of watching a drag show with a pig. Where, you ask? (I know, it’s a dream) The Animal Rights National Conference.
Dewired and Rewired
Now on the plane returning home from the ARNC, I find myself struggling to even begin this post, as my brain feels dewired and rewired in 100 different and new ways after the experience. After being vegan for six years, and an activist for 4 of those years, I’ve let myself slide into a comfortable position of being able to turn on my “vegan speech” when asked questions about veganism and animal rights.
And it is OK, I do it (and we do it) because we have to constantly endure the questions, harassment, and judgments of nonvegans. And hey, I’m not saying it’s all bad: the questions show someone’s interest peaking in the subject at hand, and the harassment signals to me that we’ve hit a sore spot within you. Before, I would have been ok with leaving it at that. Now, I want to get to know the root of why the subject is touchy, and how we can tend to that hurting part of you.
Back to the Budget
Before we get into more feelings, or as the kids say, “all the feels”, I have to keep it old school and let you know how I did this conference on a budget. The ARNC was held in D.C. this year, and every rotating year is held in California. Before investigating the situation, I thought that it was something out of my reach because of the cost of the ticket. So when I was asked to represent A Well-Fed World, my interest was aroused and I am eternally grateful that I had the chance to go. My travel fees were covered as I was a vendor at the conference, but for those who aren’t working it, there is an option to do a work scholarship in exchange for a ticket cost, hotel stay, and transportation to the conference for those who receive it. This is a great option when you’re looking to travel with little to no money, as the tickets are usually priced anywhere from $100 to $300.
(For those of you who look at this blog for the sole interest of learning how to get around on a budget, let me break it down for you on how I could have done this if I wasn’t working the conference: I would have looked for cheap bus tickets to D.C., tried to carpool up with a friend or someone going who has to go through or near my town, or looked on Craigslist for rideshare options. There is always the option of hitchhiking, too. For lodging, I would have looked to split a cheap Airbnb or hotel with friends, sleep on someone’s floor, stay with friends or family in the area, or couch surf with the Couchsurfing app. For food, I would have ((yes, this deserves parenthesis inside of parenthesis – this is totally true)) tried dumpster diving in the area, asked to help out a food vendor in exchange for food, see if the conference had any leftover or unused food, or load up on food before leaving home from the local Discount Grocery. For transportation I would walk, bike, or catch rides with friends going in the same direction.)
The Breakdown
Now, if you’ve never been to an animal-minded conference or the ARNC specifically, let me set up the scene for you. The ARNC is not to confused with the ALC, held in California each year. I used to be set on going to that each year, but because of recent and ongoing issues with the group that hosts it, I am not sure that I will be going back any time soon. While the ALC is very get-in-the-streets-and-make-some-noise and this-is-how-to-liberate-animals-from-factory-farm-prisons minded, the ARNC isn’t as loud, but surely it gets you thinking. The ALC makes me want to fire up and take to the streets, while the NRAC lights me up and asks me to reconsider everything I thought I knew about the social justice movement that we’re in – veganism.
The ARNC is held at the Hilton and has a few different floors in which the conference is held. There is an abundance of tables lined up that are there to educate folks, vend items, feed people, and let you learn more about what they do. You’ll find sanctuaries, small businesses, food vendors, and vegan organizations excited to tell you about what drives them. Some of my most favorite tables were by the Animal Liberation Front, Vine Sanctuary, A Well-Fed World, Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, Sea Shepheard, and We Animals. But oh, let me tell you, the tables aren’t even the best part. The conference is opened by a welcoming gathering and was excitingly brought to a close with a show hosted by The Vegan Drag Queen. Although the ending and beginning are always emotional and important, it’s what is in in the middle that really gets to you. Each day during the ARNC you’ll find a full schedule filled with speakers from all over the globe talking about social justice, veganism, and other liberation topics. Keep in mind that most of my time was spent tabling, so I only went to a few talks, but Queering Animal Rights by Pattrice Jones and Mara Keisling, and Body & Health Shaming Fail Activists and Animals by Callie Coker, Nichole Dinato, and Ginny Messina really blew my mind. Not only that, but I had to blow my nose as well, as I was crying and head nodding throughout each talk. I don’t even feel the need to go out on a limb when I say that I’m sure that others experienced some of the same feelings as well.
The Time to Act is Now
The experience of each person at this conference, or any conference for that matter, is going to be different because we all come to the table with different life experiences and social experiences. Heck, some of ya’ll built the table and brought it. (And I thank you for that!) I personally walked away from the conference with the overwhelming feeling that all of the issues that fall under veganism and intersect with it, (the issues of world hunger, classism, racism, environmental destruction, sexism, homophobia, and many others) are pressing, no, screaming issues that are glaring us in the face need to be talked about and worked on right now.
As the planet starts to collapse in on itself, as animals are brutally tortured and murdered, as nonhuman and human children are locked in cages, as the rainforests disappear, as people are starving, and as people are treated as less than because of who they are or what resources they have, these issues cannot be ignored any longer. They are here, standing in front of us, shaking and rattling the boxes that we have tried to lock them away in. We simply can’t do it any longer.
The ARNC reminded me that all of these issues intersect with and are affected by our choices to participate in veganism or not, and that the conversation of veganism has been turned into a consumeristic food conversation, rather than a direct conversation of social justice and ethical responsibilities. And while the conference reminded me of all the tragedy that we’ve created in this world, it also revealed to me so many beautiful people that are using their unique gifts and talents to turn this chaos around. Something quietly and softly nudged me at different points, and then spoke up and put me on the spot at others, to remember to use my own unique skills, passion, and creativity to help heal the world.
Get Inspired
Here are some folks and organizations who continue to inspire me with the work that they are doing:
- A Well-Fed World
- The Sentient Project created by Daniel Turbert
- Mothers Against Dairy
- Amy Burkman, speed painter
- Aph Ko, author of Aphro-ism
- Farmshire Sanctuary
- Honey LaBronx, The Vegan Drag Queen
- Animal Recovery Mission
- Elizabeth Jones
- Free From Harm
So, what’s the best way to wrap this all up? Sheesh, I’ll never beat watching a drag show with a pig, so what’s the point in even trying. All that I can say is “#HappyTravels!”
