Veganism as a barrier to involvement in the animal rights movement

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The concept of personal purity associated with veganism adds a fundamentalist religious element to the animal rights movement, which is unhelpful. This creates a gap in support for the cause, as many people are sympathetic to the overall political project but refuse to join due to veganism. Veganism is often seen as unrealistic for most people, making it a challenge to attract non-vegans. This limited perspective results in a smaller and weaker social organization within the movement. In contrast, other movements like climate change and labor unions have a broader acceptance criteria that allows for greater participation. There is a need to address this issue by creating a stronger sense of community and expanding the movement's inclusivity.

David Coman-Hidy is former President of The Humane League, one of the largest farm animal advocacy organisations in the world. He now works as a Partner at Sharpen Strategy working to coach animal advocacy organisations.

In this episode, we discuss the age-old debate facing animal advocates: Should we pursue incremental approaches to improve welfare or should we only advocate for the total abolition of animal exploitation. Additionally, David also shares some approaches he would like to see more of within the animal advocacy movement, as well as what we could learn from other social movements.

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