Introducing: the First International Turkey Sentience Day (and Other Good News)

Good news from Mexico, New York, and UK care homes.

Hi friend,

I won’t lie: As a vegan living in the US, Thanksgiving week is pretty hard.

I have lived on three continents and in a number of different countries — and yet, I cannot think of a single other holiday that is as centered around animal slaughter as US Thanksgiving.

So, what are we to do with this?

Well, there’s a beautiful quote that is pertinent to the situation: “… it is far better to light the candle than to curse the darkness.^{” —} W. L. Watkinson

One candle. Of course, in reality, the next image is a much more accurate representation:

Multiple candles. Because there are many of us lighting candles, and tealights, and metaphorical fires under carnism’s backside.

Grab a match; here’s the next candle!

Here’s the scoop on Turkey Sentience Day:

I would like to create a Turkey Sentience Day that’s on the fourth Thursday of November (i.e. on US Thanksgiving).

Thanksgiving can be a tough holiday for vegans in the US — so let’s create an alternative, international holiday instead. I would be very happy to contribute to this, but probably don't have the energy to lead anything big, so I could really use your help.

Please comment below or send me a message on Bluesky if you would like to help.

You can also help by creating awareness of Turkey Sentience Day, for instance by:

• Wish people a “Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Turkey Sentience Day.”

• Post on Social Media with the hashtag #turkeysentienceday.

• Tell a few other vegans about this, for instance, by sharing this post.

What is Turkey Sentience Day?

Turkey Sentience Day draws attention to the sentience of turkeys, and acknowledges their ability to experience pain and suffering.

Why a Turkey Sentience Day?

There are a few reasons I can think of:

• drawing attention to the victims of traditional Thanksgiving meals,

• exposing cognitive dissonance and interrupting patterns in a non-confrontational way,

• helping American vegans and animal advocates feel more at home during Thanksgiving.

Some people in my neighborhood have huge turkey statues outside, which is a painful reminder of American's cognitive dissonance around this holiday. When I walk near them and think of Turkey Sentience Day, I already feel better.

Plus, we might eventually be able to subvert this: "Oh, I saw your turkey statue outside! Are you also celebrating Turkey Sentience Day?"

I also hope Turkey Sentience Day is weird enough that some outlets like The Guardian might eventually like to write about it.

Why international?

By making this international, we can get support from all the animal advocates/lovers outside the US who feel no particular affinity to traditional Thanksgiving meals that include turkey. This might help with exposure.

What are the next steps?

I just came up with the idea of a Turkey Sentience Day today. So obviously, there isn’t enough time before this year’s Thanksgiving to create awareness, a website, etc. All that is more of a goal for next year.

However, we can still celebrate Turkey Sentience Day now:

⭐ How to help the cause and celebrate the first Turkey Sentience Day ⭐

• Wish people a “Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Turkey Sentience Day.”

• Post on Social Media with the hashtag #turkeysentienceday.

• Tell a few other vegans about this, for instance, by sharing this post.

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Other good news:

The Mexican Constitution now protects animals!

After passing a number of significant constitutional amendments, the Mexican Constitution now protects animals, making the country a leader in humane legislation!

According to Article 4 of the amended Mexican Constitution, the government must ensure animals are treated well, conserved, and cared for according to national laws.

This amendment elevates animal welfare to a constitutional priority!

The country has taken a similar leadership role before; its Constitution of 1917 was the first one to set out social rights, and served as a model for the Weimar Constitution of 1919 and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic Constitution of 1918. Let’s hope their recent amendments will inspire other countries as well!

You can find out more here.

New York bans pet shop sales

Starting in December, New York — one of the breeding industry’s largest markets — will prohibit the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores. The Humane Society estimates that this ban will stop about 50 pet shops from selling puppies bred in a puppy mill. It also makes it more likely that people adopt shelter animals.

Hopefully, other US states will follow suit and join states such as California and Maryland that have already banned puppy mills.

You can find out more here.

Care homes in the UK see a rise in vegan and vegetarian diets

According to a new survey by Vegetarian for Life, care homes in the UK have seen a 24% increase in vegan and vegetarian residents over the past decade. There are now more than 8,000 vegan and vegetarian care home residents as of this year (compared to about 6,500 in 2014).

The survey also found that almost a third of care homes currently cater to at least one vegan or vegetarian resident (39% increase).

You can find out more here.

🤗 How you can help animals

It feels great to read through positive news. What’s even better is to contribute to them!

Remember, the whole animal advocacy movement is still in its early phase, and we can use all hands on deck. That means that your contribution is uniquely valuable and important at this time.

This is true regardless of where you are on the journey of changing your personal diet! 

You don’t have to be a full-fledged vegan before starting your animal advocacy journey. I have been wanting to reduce animal suffering since I was a child, long before I ever heard about veganism. 

Dr. Melanie Joy, a prominent leader in the movement, advises everyone to “be as vegan as possible.”

Similarly, Hive, a huge online community of Animal Advocates (see point No. 4 below) has the following guidelines for joining: “While the majority of members work/volunteer at animal advocacy organizations and self-identify as vegan/vegetarian, we do not exclude people who are at a different stage in their career or a different point in their diet journey. We welcome anyone who has a sincere desire to be more effective in helping non-human animals.”

Here’s how you can be a part of the solution:

1. You can donate to an organization that effectively helps animals, such as the Animal Charity Evaluators or the Animal Welfare Fund. You can find out more about effective animal welfare donations here.

2. You can volunteer for animals. If you don’t have a lot of time, the Humane League’s Fast Action Network might be a good choice, as it allows you to contribute when you can (for instance, while waiting in a queue). If you have more time, you can find a lot of volunteering opportunities here.

3. If you are not yet a vegan, you can become a vegan ally (see this YouTube video for an explanation) and support the cause by reducing your consumption of animal products. If you want support in becoming more vegan, there are many vegan challenges, such as this one.

4. If you would like community, you can join Hive Newsletter’s Slack channel and connect with 3000+ animal advocates. I recently joined and it’s amazing! My only regret is that I didn’t join earlier. :)

Warmly,
Louise

P.S.: I started a positive vegan/animal advocacy newsletter because I believe most of us could benefit a lot from reading about all the good things that are happening in this place. For me personally, it helps me stay motivated and hopeful, and I suspect the same is true for many other people.

Our movement has an incredibly ambitious goal, and we won’t get there within weeks or months. So, it’s important to keep the faith.

If you know people who want to reduce the suffering of animals, could you please share this newsletter with them? Anything helps: sharing it on Social Media or elsewhere, liking this post, commenting, emailing it to a friend, etc.

Thank you!