Freedom of Species

Our guest on today's show is Meg Edge. We chat about Meg's career as a vegan professional athlete in MMA (mixed martial arts), and discuss straight edge and the hardcore scene.     Bio:    Meg is a self-described jack of all trades, master of none. Over the past decade or so, she has worked for and volunteered with various animal rights and conservation organisations, as well as having been a professional athlete (yes, a vegan one) and coach. She is a writer and a musician, currently in Naarm-based hardcore band TIMEPEACE and previously in the staunchly vegan Straight Edge band Judas Wolf. She currently lives on Wadawurrung Country with her furry family - Mahoney, Rogue, and Bean.   Links:    Follow Meg's band Timepeace and find dates of upcoming shows and their EP released here: https://www.instagram.com/timepeaceworld/?hl=en    Masochist https://www.instagram.com/masochistpunk/?hl=en     Hayley Williams https://www.instagram.com/yelyahwilliams/?hl=en   Music we played:   Snared - Judas Wolf https://judasxwolf.bandcamp.com/track/snared   Masochist - Hoax https://masochistpunk.bandcamp.com/track/hoax   Mirtazapine - Hayley Williams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMrh5CW6IhI     Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot include the songs played on the show in the podcast. Our guests' songs have been added to the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist where possible here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=bfcb55c3f763...(link is external)    Thank you for listening. Please contact us with any feedback on our shows at freedomofspecies@gmail.com

On the show today, our guest is Nathan Poirier who returned to continue our discussion about veganarchism. We talked about some of the ideas raised in Nathan's solo book and the edited books, and also highlighted some ideas that are often not examined. Our first conversation about veganarchism aired in a previous show which is available here: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/veganarchism-against-all-oppression-everywhere-all-time-nathan-poirier Note: in the third section of the podcast, we left it unedited and we talk about various topics such as intersectionality, that critical animal studies is not so radical anymore (probably need a  whole show to cover this), abolition, Angela Davis and more. We decided to leave in our chat unedited as a more representative overview of the conversation.    Nathan's bio:   Nathan Poirier is an independent scholar-activist who has edited or authored books that span topics like critical animal studies, veganarchism, non/human coexistence, and a forthcoming two-volume A6 set on black anarchism. Nathan is an ambassador for the Office of Empowerment (essential the DEI organization) at Lansing Community College where Nathan is a full time math tutor. Nathan enjoys bringing people and causes together so that individuals can constructively challenge each other socially and intellectually to create a better world for all. It is Nathan's continuous goal to push their own boundaries as well as others' in terms of how critical, radical thought relates to everyday life. Preferring to be somewhat of an intellectual  "jack of all trades", Nathan does not consider themselves an expert in anything and primarily hops between topics of intellectual inquiry (and back again) trying to learn a bit of everything. This orientation fits in with and helped lead to their theorizing veganism and anarchism as the same thing - and together as a theory of everything.     Links:     Books:   Veganarchism: Against All Oppression, Everywhere, All the time by Nathan Poirier (2025) https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/vegananarchism-a6/    Veganarchism: Making Veganism and Anarchism Dangerous Again (edited by Will Boisseau and Nathan Poirier, 2024) https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/vegananarchism/    Active Distribution has been around since the 1980s, as a DIY and voluntary project to support our scenes. Run by Jon for over thirty years, he’s now stepped back to focus on Active Distribution Publishing, and a crew based in Bristol have been running the distro side of things. Still keeping things priced as low as possible, distributing a wide range of ‘all things anarchist’ and maintaining a DIY and not for profit ethic. You can also find the books via PM Press:  The PM Press US links are below.:  Veganarchism: Against All Oppression, Everywhere, All the Time: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1851  Veganarchism: Making veganism and Anarchism Dangerous Again: https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1850     PM Press is an independent, radical publisher of critically necessary books for our tumultuous times. Our aim is to deliver bold political ideas and vital stories to all walks of life and arm the dreamers to demand the impossible. Founded in 2007 by a small group of people with decades of publishing, media, and organizing experience, we have sold millions of copies of our books, most often one at a time, face to face. We’re old enough to know what we’re doing and young enough to know what’s at stake. Join us to create a better world.   Books we mentioned in the last section of our discussion:  Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out by Aph Ko (2019) https://lanternpm.org/book/racism-as-zoological-witchcraft/  Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays in Solidarty and Total Liberation by Nathan Poirier (Volume editor), Sarah Tomasello (Volume editors), Amber E. George (Volume editor) (2024) https://www.peterlang.com/document/1298884  Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights by Zane McNeill (2024) https://www.peterlang.com/document/1359054 Some links of interest:Are you an anarchist? The answer may surprise you!https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/david-graeber-are-you-an-anarchist-the-answer-may-surprise-you Christoper Sebastian on exploring radical veganism https://strivingwithsystems.com/2017/05/15/exploring-radical-veganism/  Traumatized and Thriving on Instagram - resource on Decolonize Your Life for Beginners https://www.instagram.com/traumatized_thriving/?hl=en       Music we played on the show:Everlast - The Culling https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tqzr2f1cZv4Bob Dylan - Masters of War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEmI_FT4YHUBob Dylan - With God on our Side  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y2FuDY6Q4M.       Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot include the songs played on the show in the podcast. Our guests' songs have been added to the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist where possible here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=bfcb55c3f763...(link is external)    Thank you for listening. Please contact us with any feedback on our shows at freedomofspecies@gmail.com

Nick speaks with Sheena Chhabra, a campaigner with the Plant Based Treaty. We discuss the Treaty, the importance of structural change and the place of individual veganism in the movement.   Links: You can find out more about the Plant Based Treaty and endorse it on their website: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/ To send an email to your city councillors asking them to endorse the Treaty: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/city-action/ You can also register as a volunteer at https://plantbasedtreaty.org/volunteer/  if you'd like to get involved with campaigning for the Treaty from anywhere in the world.  Nick’s book chapter ‘Incorporating a structural approach into animal advocacy’, which we discuss on the show: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003257912-8/incorporating-structural-approach-animal-advocacy-nick-pendergrast  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder: https://www.steviewonder.net/ Creep by Radiohead: https://www.wasteheadquarters.com/ You Got Me by Erykah Badu and Roots: https://open.spotify.com/track/4pdLZsxq0y5oJDb6Cxlokw?si=c8c38260db1f4fa4

Our guest on today's show is Nathan Poirier and we discuss veganarchism.    Nathan Poirier is an independent scholar-activist who has edited or authored books that span topics like critical animal studies, veganarchism, non/human coexistence, and a forthcoming two-volume A6 set on black anarchism. Nathan is an ambassador for the Office of Empowerment (essentially the DEI organization) at Lansing Community College where Nathan is a full time math tutor. Nathan enjoys bringing people and causes together so that individuals can constructively challenge each other socially and intellectually to create a better world for all. It is Nathan's continuous goal to push their own boundaries as well as others' in terms of how critical, radical thought relates to everyday life. Preferring to be somewhat of an intellectual "jack of all trades", Nathan does not consider themselves an expert in anything and primarily hops between topics of intellectual inquiry (and back again) trying to learn a little bit of everything. This orientation fits in with and helped lead to their theorizing veganism and anarchism as the same thing - and together as a theory of everything.    Links:   Veganarchism: Against All Oppression, Everywhere, All The Time by Nathan Poirier https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/vegananarchism-a6/  Veganarchism: Making Veganism and Anarchism Dangerous Again edited by Will Boisseau and Nathan Poirier https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/vegananarchism/    Animal Liberation and Social Revolution by Brian Dominick https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/animal-liberation-and-social-revolution/  Radical Companionship: Rejecting Pethood and Embracing our Multispecies World by Aiyana Goodfellow https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/radical-companionship-a6/  Innocence and Corruption: an Abolitionist Understanding of Youth Oppression by Aiyana Goodfellow https://www.activedistributionshop.org/product/innocence-and-corruption/  All of these great books can be ordered via Active Distribution UK https://www.activedistributionshop.org/  The artist for Veganarchism: Making Veganism and Anarchism Dangerous Again is Baba Yaga, on instagram @chooktoedhut The artist for Veganarchism: Against All Oppression, Everywhere, All the Time, is Brett Colley, and their personal website: https://brettcolley.com/home.html  The music we played was by Everlast:   Stone in my Hand https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uihjXLIBO4   KIll the Emperor https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS9KDu0s3Xw   Letters Home from the Garden of Stone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNg8CEeXAFA       Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot include the songs played on the show in the podcast. Our guests' songs have been added to the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist where possible here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=bfcb55c3f763...(link is external)  We recorded a follow-up discussion on veganarchism as there was more to discuss, and that show is here: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/more-veganarchism-part-2-nathan-poirier 3CR is unique and so are our listeners. We created our mission to fight against the commercial homogenisation of the radio waves almost 50 years ago and our listeners share our values of independence, integrity and individuality. Thanks for helping the Freedom of Species team reach their 2025 Radiothon goal of $1,500. 3CR is still a way off the required $275,000 needed to keep the station going. If you'd like to contribute to help keep 3CR on the air, please donate at https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies    Thank you for listening. Please contact us with any feedback on our shows at freedomofspecies@gmail.com   3CR - Your Station, Your Voice

Claire, Ruby and Nick discuss representations of animal rights in the media, focusing on the cartoon BoJack Horseman and the manga The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa. We cover the portrayal of anthropomorphised (human-like) animals in these examples, factory farmed versus "free-range" animal products and factions within the animal advocacy movement.  Links: Animal Horror: An investigation into animal rights, horror cinema and the double standards of violent human behaviour by Gunnar Theodór Eggertsson – academic article: https://www.academia.edu/543200/Animal_Horror_An_investigation_into_animal_rights_horror_cinema_and_the_double_standards_of_violent_human_behaviour?email_work_card=title KINDRED by Patricia Piccinini – art work: https://melbourne.sciencegallery.com/not-natural-exhibits/kindred You can hear Ruby discuss her research on veganism in Japan on a previous FoS show: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/%E2%80%9Csoft%E2%80%9D-activism-path-forward-veganism-japan-ruby-ramsden  Music:  Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Kangaroo by Remi Wolf: https://www.remiwolf.com/ Melbourne Bitter by Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird: https://cousintonys.bandcamp.com/ No War by Lowkey and Styles P: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivXiYqbCMt8&list=RDivXiYqbCMt8&start_radio=1  Thanks so much to everyone who donated to our Radiothon campaign! The target for our show was $1500 and we have already exceeded that, with $1850 donated so far! 3CR is still trying to reach the overall target for the station of $275,000, with over $220,000 raised so far. Any donations to our Give Now page will go towards that overall target to keep 3CR on the air. Thanks again to those who have already donated and we appreciate any additional donations to help get 3CR over the line! https://givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies

Our guest on today's show is Ari, who returns for a follow up conversation on conflict in activist spaces and in community group settings.      Ari (they/them) is a community organiser, mediator and support worker who is passionate about exploring the transformative potential of generative conflict and accountability work. Working primarily in community organising settings, Ari believes that how we relate to each other directly impacts our political capacities, and that although large-scale political organising is vital, most change happens at the relational and community level. Their work is informed by abolitionist and transformative justice frameworks, which are ways of being and organising rooted in indigenous knowledge and BiPoc communities in which there have historically been other ways of dealing with conflict than the models white supremacy culture teaches us today. Authors and organisers who have inspired them greatly are Andrea Ritchie, adrienne maree brown, Mia Mingus, Mariame Kaba, Dean Spade and many more. When not organising workshops or supporting comrades in conflict resolution, they enjoy learning about generative somatics, dancing and moving their body and supporting community events. They grew up in Germany and are currently living on unceded Wurrendjeri Woi-Worrung Land.    Links:  Part 1 of our chat with Ari is here https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/ari-conflict-activist-spaces  A really helpful resource is the booklet Working with conflict in our groups: A guide for grassroots activists produced by Seeds for Change UK. You can download a PDF here https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/downloads/conflictbooklet.pdf  Andrea Ritchie https://www.andreajritchie.com/  Mia Mingus https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/  adrienne marie brown https://adriennemareebrown.net/  Mariame Kaba https://mariamekaba.com/  Dean Spade https://www.deanspade.net/  If you would like to get in touch with Ari about conflict workshops, you can reach them at zorita22@proton.me    Music we played:    Blak Britney by Miss Kaninna https://open.spotify.com/track/0c6C5ec7t86kjS06xQjZtK?si=1c09deaeaeab4d72  Dast by MADANii https://open.spotify.com/track/5SSr4HGGR8XtEbpV9tDPHx?si=2b611c8ac6504e53   Long Live Palestine by Lowkey https://open.spotify.com/track/6V3OLZgJzFTTOKmOk7joMr?si=35b7c4142cb24e34   Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot include the songs played on the show in the podcast. The songs have been added to the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=bfcb55c3f763...(link is external)   June is Radiothon month at 3CR and we need your support! 3CR is unique and so are our listeners. We created our mission to fight against the commercial homogenisation of the radio waves almost 50 years ago and our listeners share our values of independence, integrity and individuality. If you'd like to contribute to the Freedom of Species Radiothon goal, please donate at https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies   Thank you for listening. Please contact us with any feedback on our shows at freedomofspecies@gmail.com    3CR - Your Station, Your Voice

On Sunday June 15, the Freedom of Species team had another fun-filled animal trivia show to raise donations for 3CR's Radiothon 2025! Can you guess the answers before listeners and the hosts? Have a listen and hear the animal noises and other trivia!  Please support 3CR Community Radio so we can keep operating as a genuinelyindependent and non-commercial broadcast service. Donations are the best way to help. A strong result in 2025 means we will be able to stay on air and sets us up well for a sustainable future. Our expenses are rising; we need your donation to keep up! You can donate via the GiveNow page: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies or you can call 3CR or donate via the 3CR website and nominate Freedom of Species. Phone donations during business hours can be made at tel. + 61 3 9419 8377or online at www.3crorg.au/donate  The music we played on the show:  Excuse Me by The Decline https://open.spotify.com/track/07fjXzVpgJ1TjLLqvcwFgT?si=ecf2cc2d57254852  I wrote my will on a chalkboard in case things change by Myles Bullen https://open.spotify.com/track/3NqJZ3zOWOh4O6L4tzNiht?si=20fd96612d7f4c09  Grab your balaclava by Richy Tofu https://totalliberationrecords.bandcamp.com/album/benefit-compilation-for-vegan-in-palestine All of the songs are available on the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=1e8461c2376544f5   Thank you for your support! Please send us any feedback via freedomofspecies@gmail.com

Our guest on today's show is Ari, and we're talking about conflict in activist spaces and in community group settings.      Ari (they/them) is a community organiser, mediator and support worker who is passionate about exploring the transformative potential of generative conflict and accountability work. Working primarily in community organising settings, Ari believes that how we relate to each other directly impacts our political capacities, and that although large-scale political organising is vital, most change happens at the relational and community level. Their work is informed by abolitionist and transformative justice frameworks, which are ways of being and organising rooted in indigenous knowledge and BiPoc communities in which there have historically been other ways of dealing with conflict than the models white supremacy culture teaches us today. Authors and organisers who have inspired them greatly are Andrea Ritchie, adrienne maree brown, Mia Mingus, Mariame Kaba, Dean Spade and many more. When not organising workshops or supporting comrades in conflict resolution, they enjoy learning about generative somatics, dancing and moving their body and supporting community events. They grew up in Germany and are currently living on unceded Wurrendjeri Woi-Worrung Land.    Links: A really helpful resource is the booklet Working with conflict in our groups: A guide for grassroots activists produced by Seeds for Change UK. You can download the guide as a PDF file here https://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/downloads/conflictbooklet.pdf  Ari's workshop in Naarm/Melbourne at Black Spark Cultural Centre is on Sunday June 15 between 3.00-6.00pm. Registration is required as it's limited to a small group. Please complete the registration form if you're interested.  https://tinyurl.com/accountabilityws   Please note that for copyright reasons we cannot include the songs played on the show in the podcast. The songs have been added to the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=bfcb55c3f7634f0e     The music we played on the show:   Trans 101 (Scarim) by Bobby Sanchez https://open.spotify.com/track/2qlHAUxjsB0mBpGOKSqNx3?si=4nyByc0tRmud5kNL1-rR4A        Cavaliers by Mansfield TYA  https://open.spotify.com/track/07F8ojojIcr19BWqHJFLyo?si=-x8qtJzcTc6oMpGKMD8rzw&nd=1&dlsi=eb00fc0e895541d3      A Bigger Cage is still a Prison by Cistem Failure https://open.spotify.com/track/29Klq6FWTjZg22v8eei9sZ?si=w1hftqycSxyIrqwfk5ERLw&nd=1&dlsi=3bbccd65c29f4e96    June is Radiothon month at 3CR Community Radio. The station needs your support to keep going and by donating you are investing in the future of 3CR.  Please tune in next Sunday June 15 at 1pm for Freedom of Species' Radiothon Animal Trivia show. We invite listeners to text in their answers to the trivia questions on 0488 809 855. If you would like to donate to Freedom of Species' 2025 Radiothon target of $1500, our GiveNow page is here: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2jsVKFa8k    Thank you for listening and please feel free to contact us and share any feedback with us at freedomofspecies@gmail.com

In today’s show, Betty interviews Sonya Takau from Dingo Culture and Alix Livingstone from Defend the Wild all about the native Australian dingo. We learn about the character of the dingo, their role in Australian ecosystems and what makes them unique. We go on to discuss some of the significant threats facing the dingo and strategies for securing their future led by First Nations land custodians. Sonya Takau is a Jirrbal Rainforest Aboriginal woman living in Tully, Far North Queensland. The dingo is highly significant to Sonya and her family. To Sonya, the dingo is kin, and she has a cultural obligation to protect them from harm. As well as Sonya’s cultural ties to the dingo, she has a particular personal passion for the species and shares her home with an orphaned wild-dingo named Bina. Sonya is the director of Dingo Culture, a platform dedicated to representing the Aboriginal perspective on the dingo, which has been drowned out for the past 233 years. Dingo Culture’s mission is to create legislative change to recognise and protect dingoes as culturally significant animals. In 2023, Sonya played a key role in bringing about the first of its kind National Inaugural First Nations Dingo Forum, which brought together First Nations people from across the country to have their say on current dingo management across the country. At the conclusion of the forum a historic National First Nations Dingo Declaration was produced, which outlined the cultural significance of the dingo and called for a new, non-lethal, model - caring for Dingoes on Country. Alix Livingstone is the Founding Director of Defend the Wild. She is motivated by a desire to address the complex challenges confronting Australian wildlife. Alix possesses a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to collaborating with various stakeholders on the ground to ensure that solutions can be found that benefit wildlife, ecosystems, and communities. Alix is highly skilled in crafting high-impact public awareness campaigns aimed at reshaping public perceptions and driving positive change. She actively participates in lobbying efforts targeting Government and peak industry bodies to advocate for legislative and policy reforms that prioritise the welfare of communities, wildlife, and the environment. Alix spearheaded the development of Defend the Wild's Dingo campaign, which was featured on ABC's 7.30 program, shedding light on the government-sanctioned treatment of Dingoes across Victoria. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in launching the #DropCroc campaign, featured on Channel 10's 'The Project,' unveiling the practice of factory farming Saltwater Crocodiles under the guise of conservation. For more information follow and support: Dingo Culture: https://www.dingoculture.com/ Defend the Wild: https://www.defendthewild.org/ Music played: Run Dingo – Nooky: https://soundcloud.com/nooky-mc/run-dingo Dingo - Buddy Williams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L9zkHGSBr0 Dingo - Ruby Fields: https://soundcloud.com/rubyfields-music/dingo You can subscribe to 3CR here: https://www.3cr.org.au/subscribe and you can nominate Freedom of Species as the show you want to support.

This interview was recorded with Anas Arafat in Gaza and Laura Schleifer in the US on May 17, 2025. We are very grateful for their time and their work, and the unimaginable hardship that Anas is enduring in Gaza. We thank them for this interview. Our conversation starts with the formation of Plant the Land Team Gaza as a grassroot collaboration between local Gazan community activists and international solidarity activists within the vegan community and beyond to provide life-sustaining foods and services in a way that respects and sustains all life.  Anas shares details of the situation in Gaza since the blockaid of all aid including food, water and medical supplies since March 2. Palestinians are suffering immense hardship with ongoing violence under the illegal occupation of their land and the genocide and ethnic cleansing being committed by the state of Israel.  We discuss the Nakba: both in it's remembrance this week and the ongoing Nakba being perpetrated in Gaza and the West Bank. Anas and Laura talk about Palestinian solidarity and what people can do to support Palestine.  Please follow Plant the Land Team Gaza here:  https://www.planttheland.org/  https://www.facebook.com/PlantTheLandTeamGaza  Anas on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008448283358  Laura on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008448283358 Also the BDS Movement https://bdsmovement.net/ Vegan BDS https://www.instagram.com/veganbds/   Links to fundraisers that will get dontions directly to Anas in Gaza to continue this work: - GoFundMe: Support Mutual aid in Gaza fundraiser (AUD) https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mutual-aid-in-gaza - Muslim Giving: Help for Gaza fundraiser (Pounds Stirling) https://www.muslimgiving.org/g4za2025?fbclid=IwY2xjawKV-PVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEycm5BQnB5c0Y2MlVFYzkzAR5IolTSUK4DGseF8PgoHe_e6XCyU2N2RcAuMoa9ibUHLj3MXlKg006lNTB__Q_aem_fEs35cZScBkRLsHgbw6N1w  - Bonfire Plant the Land Team Gaza t-shirt fundraiser (USD) https://www.bonfire.com/plant-the-land-team-gaza-1/  Music we played on the show:  - Falstini Ana by Zain Daqqa  - Ya Tal3een by Dana Salah Please note that due to copyright legislation we are not able to include the songs in our podcast. You can find the songs on the Freedom of Species Spotify playlist here:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3TJQujKYjGFoFP6LhBbaTS?si=6ghUWmzkQpyv...