The Gay Vegans: Building bridges and more vegan options!

By Dan Hanley

You might have read my blog post about Tarascos, a Mexican restaurant in southwest Denver that Mike and I absolutely love. We ate there yesterday for lunch and after speaking with the owner for a few minutes I got the idea for this blog post.

One of the missions of The Gay Vegans blog is to build bridges, and to support others in building bridges. The relationship we have with the folks at Tarascos is a great example of what anyone can do in their own community to build a bridge, make the community more friendly for vegan cuisine, and in the end be a voice for the voiceless.

When we first ate at Tarascos the owner had already created a vegetarian menu. When we spoke with him about veganism his immediate reaction was that he could easily prepare amazing vegan food because every item was made to order, even their soup (which by the way, their sopa tarasca is a must try!).

Indeed it was easy. Most items on the full page of vegetarian options could be easily made vegan, just leave off the sour cream and cheese. We spoke with him about talking to his staff regarding the difference between vegetarian and vegan. We have had only the best Mexican food since!

In my years as a vegan I have met some restaurant owners who want nothing to do with vegan food. They are in the minority. The vast majority want to fill their restaurant and adding a few vegan items to the menu is easy. No matter their cuisine. The main thing is to approach owners with love and kindness, not judgement, especially if it is already a restaurant that you enjoy eating at.

Mike and I have had great success with this. And in the culinary world where we live it is easy to see that veganism is being embraced all over the place. Our favorite restaurants (listed on our blog) are all restaurants that serve meat, yet that have amazing vegan food.

Building bridges is really what this blog is all about. What better bridges to build than those that increase awareness around vegan food and bring delish vegan food to your local restaurant?!?!

If you need ideas for non-veg restaurants that serve amazing vegan food, just check out our list on the blog. These folks definitely know what they are doing. And we thank them every time we are at their establishment!

Buen provecho and thanks for reading!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay vegans: Pro-Animal But Anti-Gay?

By Dan Hanley

It was many years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday. Rick Santorum, then a US Senator, was being honored by a national animal group. I was disgusted. It was like gay people were being kicked to the curb by this group. Betrayal in it's deepest, harshest forms.

I understand that animal groups are animal groups. They have a mission, one that does not include equality or even support for gay people. With so much animal cruelty going on in this country I totally understand that animal groups have to focus on their mission.

And I am one who works daily to be a voice for all of the voiceless. My mission includes speaking out against cruelty, hate, bigotry and intolerance in any form.

So what are animal advocates to think when a national group writes an op-ed in a national magazine, Veg News, in support of a candidate. Like everything we have to do these days, investigate.

If you are an animal rights activist and you support equality for gay people, I urge you to look into any candidate that is supported by a national animal group. I personally could never vote for or support a candidate for Congress who does not believe in equality regardless of what they may support or not support in Congress regarding animals.

A wonderful example is a positive note about Representative Mike Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania. We know from the Veg News article that he is the lead sponsor of a bill to ban the trade of primates as exotic pets. We do not know how his Democratic opponent feels about this and, being solely focused on animals, we do not know by this account that he does not support marriage equality or that he received just a 5% grade from the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights group.

There is a similar note about Representative Michael Grimm, who was highlighted in the same Veg News article. He is against marriage equality. He has received a 0% grade from the Human Rights Campaign.

Of course HRC grades solely on how an elected official votes for gay/lesbian/equality issues. I get that. And i hope you get that a 0% or 5% grade means that they basically do not like gay people.

This blog post is just vegan food for thought. As I get to know many of our readers and supporters I know that they fight for animals and also believe in equality. Pro animal does not mean pro equality.

I want both in a candidate.

Please do not support anti-equality candidates, no matter what the national animal groups say.

Thank you so much for reading this!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Why We Ask You to Vote for President Obama

By Dan Hanley

Mike and I voted today!

I am starting this post with a line from within the post. It's towards the end and I want to make sure that anyone who even browses this post will read it:

The simple reality is that for gay people and women (especially poor women), life will be much different under a Romney/Ryan administration than under President Obama.

I clearly remember the day Mike and I went to vote in 2008. I was ecstatic to vote for Barack Obama. Election night was a thrill.

There were a lot of promises. I have heard them before. People have been talking about ending the ban on gays in the military for a long time. That's just one example.

I believed that he would close Guantanamo. I believed he would work for equality. I believed that the economy would get better.

It all hasn't come to be. And I am once again ecstatic to go vote for President Obama. Because we have a ton of readers in several of the "toss up" states, I wanted to write a blog asking you to vote for President Obama.

There is a huge difference between the President and Mitt Romney, more so with social issues. There are many reasons why I am voting for President Obama and not Mitt Romney:

I believe the economy will get better with the President's continued leadership.

I believe we will not get involved with wars we cannot afford with President Obama.

I believe that President Obama honestly wants to make our education system stronger, that he believes in strong, vibrant, innovative public schools.

President Obama believes in equality and will not attack my family or my marriage.

I believe President Obama (and his wife!) truly are concerned for veterans and the care they receive after military service.

President Obama ended the ban on gays and lesbians in the military.

A vote for President Obama is a vote for tolerance (in many forms). A vote for Mitt Romney is a vote for intolerance (in many forms).

I believe Mitt Romney is anti gay. His desire is to attack to my marriage by making it unconstitutional.

I believe Mitt Romney has no regard for women in regards to their own health and choices.

I believe Mitt Romney would cave to the religious zealots in our country.

Mitt Romney has said (when he was asked in Colorado) that he does not believe in civil unions for gays and lesbians if they (the civil unions) are "too close" to marriage.

Most of Mitt Romney's charitable giving was to the Mormon Church. The same church that funded Proposition 8 in California.

I believe that Mitt Romney seriously believes in what he said about the 47%.

I understand that many people support Mitt Romney for a variety of reasons and I also understand that many will disagree with my reasons. The simple reality is that for gay people and women (especially poor women), life will be much different under a Romney/Ryan administration than under President Obama. Not just different, Progress made towards equality will falter and the level of freedom for gay and lesbian people and for women will decrease.

I have heard from many people we know who want to vote for Romney, a third-party candidate or who will not vote at all. Please reconsider, and vote for President Obama. Your vote could mean the difference between an administration that fully supports equality and one that fully believes that gay people should not have equal rights (and that's putting it nicely).

Meanwhile, as we count down to election day, if we disagree let's disagree with love and kindness. There is a huge amount of vitriol out there and I know that me, Mike and our readers do not need to be a part of that.

Thank you for reading!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Mourning a dead child

By Dan Hanley

Although I live in the real world and know that there are thousands of missing children out there, my first reaction to a local 10 year old girl going missing was " what the ____ is wrong with this world?".

Over the days of her disappearance I became very emotional about her. For the record, we do not know her or any of her family. She is simply a sweet little girl who went to a park a block from her home to meet friends so they could walk to school together yet never made it to the park. Her family lives just north of me and Mike.

I had to watch every press conference and read everything I could about the investigation. Anger, sadness, even crying for a little girl who at one moment is headed to meet friends in her neighborhood and the next moment she has vanished.

Jessica Ridgeway

Mike and I do not have children. I can't relate to what the parents are going through. Yet like many who have expressed themselves at vigils and community gatherings, I am outraged. I keep thinking about what I can do and the clear answer is nothing. At least I can't do anything for her but my wheels are turning on what I can do for others.

The last press conference I watched was with the Chief of Police of Westminster telling us that the body found two days prior was indeed that of little Jessica.

I cried.

I want to live in a world where this does not happen. Where even the thought of this would be strange.

And I am surrounded by violence: against children, against women, against animals, against gay people.

Deep breathes.

I am disgusted.

Loving thoughts and prayers for sweet Jessica and everyone who loved her.

Thank you for reading.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Gratitude for Friendships

By Dan Hanley

It was a fun, sunshiny day in Denver. I was attending a fundraisers conference at DU (University of Denver) and as always I arrived early to scope out the place and meet the speakers who always arrive early to test the audio visual. Mission accomplished and I chose a place in the middle of the room and started checking out what was going on in the world of Twitter. The conference was based on using social media in fundraising so the Twitter check was appropriate.

I was the only attendee in the room, a room seated for 600+ folks.

Suddenly a woman says hello to me. I can't remember if she just joined me or if I invited her to join me. She commented on my bright pink laptop cover.

This is how I met my dear friend Sarah.

Friendships to me have always been hugely important. I don't mean folks I see once in a while or those I see at different activist events. Those folks are great. I am thinking of those friends who make up the human fabric of of your life. Those who touch your soul and add an immense amount of love to your life. I'm sure you can think of them right now.

Sarah became that for me. We are both in the non-profit world. We both were married to the loves of our lives. Lunch or coffee with Sarah always makes my day, sometimes my week.

Horrific tragedy struck Sarah this year. She will never be the same. I don't want to go into the tragedy but will say that as a friend and as someone who cares deeply for her all I could do was be there for her. I could love her, hold her, hug her, run errands for her, be loving to her family and other friends who were around. I couldn't take away the excruciating pain.

I still can't. I can still do everything else I just mentioned though.

I had to say "see you later" to Sarah last night. She had moved here from England and made the difficult decision to take her sons and move back. The other night we had an amazing talk and I left with my eyes filled with tears and feeling emotionally numb.

And filled with gratitude.

As a gay man, family was not always available to me. They are now, but the whole coming out process isn't easy for anyone. These days it's a bit easier but still causes havoc in family relationships. My friends become family. They know it. I talk about it a lot. Even with great relationships with most of my family these days, my friends are my rock. They are part of what makes my life so charmed.

So it's not easy saying goodbye to one. I know I'll see her again. We talked about me and Mike meeting her in Iceland!

Thank you my dear friends. I love you.

Thanks for reading. If you'd like to connect but don't want to leave a comment, my personal email is vegandude@msn.com.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Vote. Seriously.

By Dan Hanley

I have heard and read it all. By "it", I am mean all of the statements and arguments as to why people should not vote.

I get it.

Some think it doesn't matter who wins an election, that all candidates are the same. I suppose part of this could be true, yet I firmly believe that this statement is great for people who have the privilege of being heterosexual. Or for someone who believes the statement of equal opinions/actions from candidates doesn't include opinions around equality or any type of positive notion around gays and lesbians.

Believe me, there is a difference.

Vote.

From your local city council to the President, candidates have vastly different views on equal rights for gays and lesbians. I'm not asking candidates to carry a gay flag at a gay pride parade. I'm talking about candidates who don't even support civil unions. Or go out of their way to disparage or demonize gay people.

Yes, there are many other issues that I am concerned about, yet it begins with whether or not a candidate believes Mike and I should have equality on some level.

Vote.

Who represents you in your state house? In your state senate?

Who is your voice in the US House of Representatives?

What local issues are being decided on? How about your local Board of Education?

Check it out. There is a lot of information out there.

And remember us. Remember The Gay Vegans when you vote.

Early voting starts soon in many places. In some places you need to be registered 30 days before an election so that cutoff date is coming up. Check with your county clerk for more information.

Thanks for reading.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: I Am In Love With My Husband

By Dan Hanley

This seems like an intense statement. It's one I say almost every day, and as I posted on Facebook yesterday, my love for him is especially strong these days for whatever reason.

Mike and I met at our church about ten years ago. I had always thought he was handsome, and because he was partnered at the time I was very respectful of his relationship, only saying hi to them as a couple. Unfortunately, as in many relationships, gay and straight, Mike and his partner had become more like room mates than partners.


We had our first date, and our first kiss, on January 7th 2004.

The next month, as a gift to me for Valentine's Day, Mike became vegetarian while on a trip to New Mexico. That same trip, we found our dog Miguel on the side of the highway. I immediately stopped and went to try to catch him, and Mike was fully supportive. Through the mud and cold and snow I tried to catch Miguel. It took 45 minutes. He was only 8 weeks old. Mike was right there with me. I knew then that he was the one. (Miguel came home with us and is now 8 years old!)

A couple of months later, on his birthday, Mike went vegan. Not as a gift to me, but as a gift to himself and the animals.

In August I asked him to marry me. We went to a gay-friendly park (yes, it's unfortunate but true that we need to think about these things) and I got on a knee and proposed to him. I brought some vegan chocolate cake to sweeten the deal.

We got married on April 30, 2005. I call our wedding day the best day of my life. We were married in the same church where we met, surrounded by 160 friends and family. Since our marriage ceremony would not be legal, we called it a "loving act of civil disobedience". It was truly a beautiful ceremony, and the days surrounding our wedding were filled with the love and support of family and friends.

My beautiful husband.

Many times I tell folks that I have a charmed life. Indeed I do. And I try to act that way every day: grateful, loving, kind, happy. I have even had people tell me that there is no way I could be as happy as I seem. I think to myself, silly you, have you met my husband?

Our marriage is a real marriage. By that I mean that we don't always agree on everything and that every day is not always perfect. The really cool thing is that we know what to do when potentially negative things occur, and we both know to remember that we are incredibly in love with each other.

One day we, as a gay married couple, will have equal rights. Today we do not. Sure, we can have special paperwork and extra legal documents and extra agreements to ensure our relationship stands firm for always, yet none of that is equal to a heterosexual couple and their marriage benefits.

Marriage equality hurts no one. No one.

I know many of our readers are activists of some sort. I know most of you work to make this world a better place for all living beings. Please keep marriage equality in mind when you vote this November. Your vote could affect our marriage. Actually, it will affect our marriage regardless of who you vote for (or if you choose not to vote). It just depends on if it will support our marriage or work to attack our marriage.

Thank you so much for reading!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: A Political Storm

By Dan Hanley

Mike and I live in a swing state, Colorado. If you also live in a swing state, you most likely can relate to what we have to deal with regarding TV and radio commercials filled with attacks and in most cases untruths.

In Colorado, we also have an important election season around our state legislature. Equality for gays and lesbians in our state is very important, and we know that under house Republican leadership we will never see civil unions in Colorado. The Republicans have a one seat majority in our state house and we are hoping (and working towards) waking up on November 5th to a state house that has a Democratic majority.

In our county, we have 3A and 3b, both efforts to support our public schools by a very small property tax increase. This is a no brainer for us. We don't have children but we completely realize the importance of education and the importance of strong, successful public schools. We would give a lot more than what 3A and 3B will take from us if they pass.

Regardless of what is important to YOU, I urge you to get involved in this election process. There are huge differences between candidates, differences that mean something to many people.  Make sure your voter registration is up to date. If you have moved, make sure you are registered in your new home. Urge your friends and family to do the same. In Colorado, you can do this online. And remember that in most states, including Colorado, you must register to vote 30 days prior to an election.

I also invite all of you to do as Mike and I are doing and drop some cash to a candidate you support. Or have a fundraiser in your home for them.

There is a lot on the line this election. And yes, I have read all the opinions of others who believe there is no difference in the Presidential candidates, that the system is rigged and their a vote doesn't make a difference. I kindly disagree.

Many of our readers are, like us, activists. Whether animal rights, human rights, marriage equality, education, the environment or one of dozens of other causes. Make your voice heard. Get involved in the process.

Thank you so much for reading. My email address is vegandude@msn.com If you need help finding out about candidates in state and federal races in your area, click here: http://votesmart.org/.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Celebrating Kind People

By Dan Hanley

I am sure you're heard the saying "Practice Random Acts of Kindness". I know it goes on from there but can't remember the rest of it.

I love this saying!

Recently on Twitter (one of my all time favorite social media outlets) I saw a post from one of the folks I follow that said this: Truth: There are kind people out there...let's celebrate them!

What a sweet, refreshing thought.

My first though in writing this post was to make a list of unkind things I am tired of seeing or experiencing. Then I reconsidered, thinking that this post will be all about celebrating kind people.

Like the people who see my truck blinker and allow me to merge into traffic and/or switch lanes.

The donors who thank me for fundraising.

Our neighbors who constantly tell us how lucky THEY feel to have US as neighbors.

Those in our world who forgive and give others a second chance.

Those who always give the benefit of the doubt to people hey love.

People at the gym who tell me I look great.

My husband, who teaches kids 12 - 18 how to play the violin, viola, cello and bass.

The drivers on I-70 who stopped in an effort to reunite two bear cubs who had gotten separated from their mother trying to cross the interstate.

Those who are loving even when it is not easy.

Those who don't say anything rather than saying something they might regret.

I could go on and on. I'm sure that each of you could create your own list. How even more awesome of a world would we live in if every day each of us practiced a random act of kindness (or two!)?

To all of our readers and supporters out there who have inundated Mike and I with kindness, thank you!

And thank you for reading! My email address is vegandude@msn.com.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Time to Stop the Hate

By Dan Hanley

This blog post comes from my personal experience within several communities that Mike and I are a part of.

It's time to stop the hate.

Bullying on any level is wrong.

I am not going to say your behavior is OK.

Stop the verbal violence against each other.

Stop the character assasination.

Look in the mirror. The person you are being is not the person we know you are.

I wish this issue was rare. The more I listen to others I realize it isn't. A family member doesn't talk with you. Someone thinks you are not vegan enough. That person makes too much money. So and so told me that he told her that you said something bad about me. I hate that person so you must hate them too. Did you know he did THAT?!?!

It's the whole Focus on the Family deal. You are OK with me as long as you act just as I want you to act, believe just as I want you to believe, and don't you dare think otherwise.

I have been on the receiving line of all of this. It's not fun. It's hurtful.

So why do we do it? I have no clue. My daily goal is to make the world a better place for all living beings. And to love. Being part of any of the crap that I just wrote out has no place in my life and does nothing towards ending suffering in the world.

There is so much hate in the world.

Only we can stop it.

I can disagree with you but I will not hate you. I will set boundaries as to what behavior is OK and what behavior is not OK, but I will not hate you. If our disagreement is so strong that we should not be in relationship, as sad as that is then so be it. My love is stronger than any hate out there.

Thanks for reading. I am truly grateful. My email address is vegandude@msn.com if you would like to communicate with me without posting a comment.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Non-violent action against discrimination

By Dan Hanley

If you are connected to me on Facebook, Twittter, or Pinterest you know that I recently found out about a bakery in my own town that told a gay couple this past week that they would not make them a wedding cake.

My first thought was that this could not possibly be true. Don't get me wrong, I am not ignorant to the reality of the world. But in Lakewood, CO?

Within a half hour my friend Drew Wilson (MileHighGayGuy) spoke with the owner of Masterpiece Bakery who confirmed that they would not be serving the gay community.

I was stunned.

I did not want to react with anger, hostility or violence, in my actions or in my words. So I went to my world of social media and I got busy.

First to Yelp. Dozens of people had already posted comments and reviews. I wanted to post something on Yelp for the same reason I am writing this blog: so people who support equality and are against bigotry and discrimination in any form will know not to shop at this bakery.

I then got onto Twitter and Facebook and asked those connected with me there to spread the word.  And boy did they.

As all of this was happening I began to write about non-violence. For this guy to not want to do business with the gay community, well, that's his right. I doubt I can change his mind. (He has not stated why. His only comment was "use your imagination".) What I can do is make sure that we, this amazing community of people who will not accept bigotry and discrimination, will not financially support his business. I will keep telling people about this and keep asking them not to shop there.

And I will ask them to speak out against this in a nonviolent way. No threats of violence, no curse-laden phone calls. Simply saying "I heard about your decision on not making a wedding cake for a gay couple, I'm sickened by that, and I will not shop with you" is just fine.

We can stand our ground and fight the good fight without becoming people we do not want to be.

Now I am hungry for cake. Good, vegan cake. I wish Beet Box would deliver to me right now!

Thanks for reading and thank you for your support. My email is vegandude@msn.com is you would like to email me.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Celebrating one year and 100 posts

By Dan Hanley

This post is to celebrate the one year anniversary of The Gay Vegans blog! June 16th, 2011 was my first blog post!

I can't believe that an idea to share more personally while going on vacation last summer catapulted to what The Gay Vegans has become. Last summer Mike and I were headed to Florida to visit his mom and I decided that I didn't want to write about the vacation on my fundraising blog.  That's when The Gay Vegans was born, and what a journey it has been.

I am beyond grateful to all of you who take the time to read this blog. And to share your experiences about whatever topic I have chosen. And to offer your love, support, feedback, recipes, guest rooms, and favorite restaurant recommendations!

Our readers have become so important to us. As much joy as I get with writing this blog, I get even more from hearing that one post inspired someone to check out a vegan cookbook, or someone to register to vote or look up their state representative.

From many states here in the US to Colombia, England, Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, South Africa, Australia and more, I get to share my personal experiences with folks who in turn become part of my life. What an honor that is.

And even though the title of my blog is The Gay Vegans, I have realized that there is a vast community of gay vegan men. The Facebook page for Gay Vegan Men has 186 members! And just recently, a gay vegan won PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian contest!

So here's to another year of building bridges, showing how awesome being vegan is, speaking out against hate and cruelty and bigotry, reminding folks that we have so much more in common than not, building community, learning how to be a voice for the voiceless, and supporting each other on this amazing journey!

Thank you so much! Thank you for continually reading my blog and being such an awesome part of The Gay Vegans community!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Vitamin D at 46

By Dan Hanley

This blog isn’t just about Vitamin D or about me being 46.

The main theme is drinking the Kool-Aid.

As in don’t drink the Kool-Aid. This is an old reference and it basically means not to blindly follow or believe what someone is saying.

Whether you are at a church or synagogue, a doctor’s office, a vegan conference. Whether you are reading the benefits of eating meat, of not eating meat, the benefits of exercise or which candidate will make YOUR life better.

Don’t do it. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid. Listen, read, think about it, pray or meditate, talk with your closest friends, and make a decision that is best for YOU.

After 16 years of being vegan and right in the middle of the time in my life when I am consciously trying to be healthier, thanks to a dear friend I learned that there is Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3. And I learned that when my soy milk states that it provides 30% of my daily need for Vitamin D, it means D2 not D3.

D3 is tough to get for vegans. Really tough. To be clear, I am still totally learning about this, so please don't take what I am saying as gospel.

I have spent hours researching this. I added Jack Norris' website as a link as he has great info on D3.

The point here is that I had no clue about Vitamin D.

And this of course leads to what other things I may not have a clue about!

Thanks for reading! And please keep me posted on things you are learning about in regards to a vegan diet. You can email me at vegandude@msn.com if you don't want to leave a public comment.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Another Meatless Monday

By Dan Hanley

Are Meatless Mondays becoming all the rage?

I think so!

Everywhere people are writing about it, posting about it, blogging about, and mentioning it in conversation. The premise is easy: don't eat meat on Monday. Once you see how easy it was then don't eat meat on the next Monday. And so on.

Easy indeed.

Breakfast, if you eat breakfast, is probably the easiest. Cereal and toast. Or a smoothie. Or pancakes! If you want to be a little creative and don't need to rush, do a tasty tofu scramble with hash browns and toast. There are hundreds of recipes online for scrambled tofu!

Lunch is just as easy. Within one block of my office there is a Mexican restaurant where I can get a bean and rice and veggie burrito; a Mediterranean place where I can get hummus and veggies; and a Whole Foods market where my choices are endless. I can also bring a couple of sandwiches like peanut butter and jelly or a mock-meat (like Tofurky slices) sandwich.

Dinner. If I want to stay home Mike and I can think of many scrumptious meals. Some take longer than others. A simple stir fry is always easy and with kale, spinach, Swiss chard or even beets added to it the meal is pretty healthy. Top that onto pasta or rice. Add a salad if you wish. And if we want to dine out we can go to a local Asian cafe or Indian restaurant have a ton of choices.

It really is easy. And best of all, your choice to not eat meat for one day has health, environmental, and animal welfare consequences, all good ones!

Try it. Invite friends to join you! Let us know how it went.

For more support, check out any of the groups and vegan food bloggers we have linked here. Lots of great information and ideas.

Thank you for reading!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Overwhelming grief

By Dan Hanley

On January 30th of this year our beloved Shadow passed away. I wrote about her life and had wonderful conversations with our readers about the loss I felt and the amazing gratitude I felt for having had the privilege of being part of her life.

Shadow lived a full 14 years before she met us. When we met her she had suffered neglect, but she was spry and loving. Our original deal was to foster her so I picked her up one day from a temporary situation and drove her to the vet for a checkup.

I will never forget her being in the passenger seat of my truck and once I stopped in the parking lot at the vets she walked onto my lap and gave me a big kiss. I said to her then not to do that as I was only fostering her.

Shadow

She knew better than that.

Shadow was 18 when she passed away. The sadness was hardcore. I took a half-day off of work, shared with friends and family about my sadness and sense of loss, and moved on.

So I thought.

What I truly love about this blog and the relationship I have built with those who read this blog and support it is that I have always been honest about what I write about and how I truly feel about the topic or the situation.

The grief I have is still incredibly strong. Sure, I smile, I go to work and rock it, I volunteer, I love on our companion animals, I make sure my husband knows how much I love and adore him. Yet in the quiet of the drive home, the still morning in my office before others arrive, reading in bed at night or swinging on the backyard hammock, the grief I feel for the loss of my Shadow is strong and feels like it will never pass.

Some days I still think Shadow is physically here. I here something in the bedroom and think it is her getting up to come join us. Or I turn the light on in the bedroom and immediately turn it off remembering that she is in there sleeping when in fact she's not. And so on.

I know the hardcore grief will pass. And I am way grateful to all of you for your love, support and stories of those you have lost.  I am also grateful to feel the love for another living being, and feel the pain that goes with not having them in my life anymore. The love I feel for this little 14 pound lovely is truly a gift.

Thank you for reading!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Linger - a raw, vegan delight

By Dan Hanley

Warning: This post is about a restaurant in Denver and their amazing food. If you are not in Denver please be aware that if this post makes you salivate you might start planning a trip to Denver!

I asked Mike to take me out to dinner last night and we ended up at Linger. We didn't have a reservation but the hostess got us in and we were ecstatic.

If you have read my post about Linger then you know that it is truly one of my all-time favorite restaurants. It's not exclusively veg but they have incredible vegan options on their menu, all marked as vegan so one knows exactly what they can order.

They also have incredible drinks. Since I don't drink I usually stick with water, and last night Mike ordered the Bartender's Choice which he loved.

The treat for last night was when Chef Daniel approached our table with some kind of deliciousness which turned out to be two, not even on the menu yet, raw, vegan appetizers. They were both incredible and I have to say that I am still thinking about the appetizer created in resemblance of a Chesapeake Bay Crab Cake. I still remember how delicious it was, how creative it was, and how much I can't wait to go back and get another one! The flavor of it was simply incredible. (It's officially offered starting today I think)

This is one of the many things I love about Linger: that they are constantly thinking of delicious new items to add to their vegan fare. In other words, they get it. They understand that having delish vegan food is a huge asset to a restaurant. It certainly works for us.

I can't finish writing about Linger without commenting on their friendly, attentive staff. You are treated as a guest, as someone important to them. You are told what is in the food you are being served and your water glass is never empty. I know from listening to many of our readers that good service is hard to find. The staff at Linger sets the standard high!

Bravo, Chef Daniel. Thank you, Linger!

Thanks for reading. We would love to know about restaurants where you live that are not exclusively veg but rock your world with vegan options.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Will you support a FREE spay and neuter day?

By Dan Hanley

I have been volunteering at one of our local animal shelters, MaxFund, for about 12 years. I started out walking dogs and hanging out with the cats. When I was in college, I would gather my books up on Sunday and sit in the cat room all day and study. Now I clean cages and Mike and I foster a lot.

This past weekend I swung by to meet a couple of dogs who really need help getting adopted and (one of them) getting healing so he is adoptable. The little one who needs help with becoming adoptable very much dislikes men and so I worked with him for a bit and got to the point where he let me hold him.

I love volunteering at shelters. One thing that stares you right in the face while volunteering at your local shelter is how important spay and neuter programs are. There are statistics all of the place in regards to the difference in just one female dog or female cat not being able to reproduce makes in the overall picture of animal overpopulation.

Mike and I have had this idea, and we are speaking with MaxFund about it. What if The Gay Vegans hosted a free spay and neuter day? Then we got to talking about two days, one specifically for cats and one for dogs. The more we spoke about it the more excited I got and the ideas just started flowing.

Before we can commit to this, we asked our friends at MaxFund to look at what it might cost to do this. While they work on the cost, we wanted to check in with our readers and supporters to see if there was anyone who would want to financially support this idea. Mike and I would put a good chunk of the money needed out there, yet we would need some help. We would also need some volunteers that day to help with check-in, etc.

Let us know if you would be interested in supporting this idea. You can email us at vegandude@msn.com or respond via Facebook or Twitter. A simple "I'm in" is fine for now and we'll create a list from that. If we move forward, we would most likely ask those who want to donate to make an online donation at The MaxFund's website just to make it easy and so we can keep track of funds.

We would love to do this and would be even more stoked about this idea if our blog community wanted to support the effort. Imagine what we could do if we could put on two totally free spay and neuter days!

As always, I would totally love your thoughts! Especially with this idea, your feedback is essential!

Thanks for reading!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Our Vegan Business

By Dan Hanley

Long before The Gay Vegans blog, Mike and I created our vegan business, Cruelty-Free World. We did this as a result of always having to buy vegan products, like belts or bags, online. Our goal was to show people that they could purchase awesome bags, belts, wallets and purses without harm to animals or humans (everything we sell is sweatshop free too) as well as offer the same products in their own community.

We decided that we didn't want a bricks and mortar place, but instead would go to festivals and farmers markets and sell our vegan products. We connected with companies already making amazing vegan products, like Splaff, Hempys and Queen Bee, ordered our favorite vegan cookbooks, bought a tent, and in May of 2006 did our first festival.

Our second goal became to raise money for animal rights and human rights groups. Cruelty-Free World generates direct support for groups making the world a better place for all living beings as we donate 100% of the profit from Cruelty-Free World to non-profits. Yep, 100%.

The best thing about all of this is that we have a blast, and we get to meet so many wonderful people that we might not have met had we not done this. We also get to talk with people about veganism, why we are vegan, and about the groups we support. Cruelty-Free World has become a wonderful way for us to introduce veganism to thousands. I love talking about my favorite vegan recipe or the latest amazing vegan meal we had at a local restaurant. The one on one conversations with people brings a lot of fun for us.

I love watching Mike talk about one of the cookbooks we sell, surrounded by folks who have never bought a vegan cookbook, with all of them getting more and more excited. We also pass out free PCRM veg starter kits, but if we can sell someone a vegan cookbook, there is a great chance that they will go home and experience for themselves how good vegan food is and how easy it is to prepare.

Recently we have been at the Neat Markets here in Denver, a monthly vegan pop-up shop. Our next festival is the annual Boulder Creek Festival coming up on Memorial Day weekend in Boulder, CO. If you're around that weekend come and say hi.

Thanks for reading!

The Gay Vegans: A Vegan Bake Sale

By Dan Hanley

We love supporting fundraisers. Many times it's a bummer when we read about these great vegan/veg events or other type of fundraising activities that are miles away and there is no way we can participate.

That's why I was beyond ecstatic when our friends at the Peace to All Creatures online zine decided to have an online bake sale in which anyone in the US (the lower 48) could participate! A vegan bake sale that we can support! YUM! I am already daydreaming about receiving the items I on in the mail in a week or so and having delish vegan treats after work one day.

Mike and I have baked for vegan bake sales in the past. They are a blast. Does that sound like a Dr. Seuss rhyme? I have always thought that giving people the opportunity to try delish vegan food is a great step in them looking at veganism.

SO here are the details. On March 18th photos of baked goods being sold will be put on their website. You can bid. Bid high and bid often. The sale ends on the 19th and then all you do is pay on PayPal and your deliciousness is on its way! Bidding will be done by simply commenting on the post on their site that has the vegan baked goods you're interested in.

I am so excited!

And the best part is that Animal Coalition of Tampa (low cost spay/neuter), Dogs for the Deaf, Darlynn's Darlins (pig sanctuary), and Friends of Arlington Animal Services (all animal non-profits in Florida) will benefit from your generosity!

Here is the link!

http://creatureszine.blogspot.com/

Thanks for reading and thank you in advance for supporting this vegan bake sale!

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Make Leap Day donation to the non-profit of your choice!

By Dan Hanley

Being gay and vegan, we have several different kinds of non-profits that we donate money to. Some are making the world a better place for animals, some for LGBTQ folk, and some for people with HIV or AIDS. All of them love getting donations in February.

Most non-profits get tons of donations in the last couple of months of the year. This make sense for people giving money, as they are feeling a little more generous and/or making donations for tax purposes. For the groups making the world a better place for all living beings, a donation in December is great. The same donation earlier in the year, when giving is low and needs remain the same (and for most groups we support the need is always rising), means even more.

As much as we try to be a voice for the voiceless every day, and as many actions as we might take to support animals being tortured and humans being discriminated against, there are many groups out there that are rocking it for the voiceless. Some of them are linked from our blog. Check them out. Look to see if it might be a convenient time to donate to one of these groups, or a group local to you making a difference.

Then donate. Give them the much needed funds they need to continue to rock it for the voiceless.

And don't think for a second that your donation of $10 or $25 is too small to make a difference. It all adds up, and every donation is important to the organizations out there making the world a better place for all living beings.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.