Influential LGBTQ+ Vegans to Follow in Honor of Pride, and Every Month

Vegans and plant-based eaters inspire one another, by sharing their lifestyle on social channels. We want to celebrate vegans in the LGBTQ+ community who inspire us during pride month and every month. Pride was sparked back in June of 1969 when a raid by police on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village challenged the rights of gay people to congregate and openly express their identities.

To show our support for Pride and the LGBTQ+ community every day, week, month and year, and celebrate those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, demisexual, pansexual, demi-gender, non-binary, we are taking this opportunity to highlight six influential vegans and their achievements in the plant-based space. In no particular order, here is who to follow for vegan pride inspiration.

Milo Runkle wants the world to stop abusing animals. He is the founder of Mercy For Animals, the world's largest farm animal protection and vegan advocacy organization. When asked the question: "Why is being Vegan important to you?" Milo responded, "Because I don’t want to pay others to abuse animals on my behalf."

Milo has been vegan for 21 years now and advocates for an animal-cruelty free life through his organization, the MFA non-profit which was founded when he was 15 years ago after he witnessed animal abuse in his hometown of Ohio. In an interview, he described the event that impacted him: "The incident took place in 1999 when I was 15 years old. A teacher at a local high school, who was also a pig farmer, brought a bucket of day-old piglets from his farm for the students of his agricultural class to study and dissect. He had attempted to kill the piglets on his farm that morning, but one was still alive. In an effort to finish her off, a student who had worked on the teacher’s farm grabbed the piglet by her hind legs and hurled her headfirst into the ground." He adds, "his attempt failed; the piglet did not die, though her skull was broken and blood streamed out of her mouth. Horrified, a few students grabbed the dying piglet and took her to another teacher, who transported the piglet to a vet to be euthanized."

Milo's mission is to end factory farming and the exploitation of animals for food. He wants to help others make plant-forward decisions and says, "We must be inclusive. We must lead by example as “joyful vegans.” We must focus on effective advocacy that informs, moves, and inspires." Milo is the author of the best-selling book Mercy For Animals.

Alan Cumming is an English actor, comedian, writer, and vegan for 12 years. "I was so bored of everything drenched in cheese, my skin cleared up, and my voice too, I have more energy, I feel younger, I don't ask my body to cope with unhealthy things." He goes on to explain that "one of the biggest causes of global warming is because of the meat industry. [It's so easy to be vegan] there are always vegan options on menus [at restaurants], it's not earth crunchy people, it's people who care about the environment and want to be healthy," said Cumming in an interview with PETA.

Cumming is recognized as "Not a Dairy Queen," the title of the PETA campaign he posed for four years ago. Dairy Queen heard his message and decided to send Cumming a box of their new vegan ice cream to try and convince him otherwise.

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, invested in plant-based company Miyoko's Creamery, a popular brand for plant-based butter and cream cheese. Their investment will help with the development of new products. The power couple focused on reducing their intake of meat for many years and now maintain a plant-based diet. Although Ellen admitted she will eat eggs from time to time, any step towards a plant-based future is an achievement. Speaking about her diet, Ellen says, “It’s a great idea for the planet. It’s a great idea for your health. It’s a great idea for the animal’s health,”

Talented singer and actress Miley Cyrus openly speaks about LGBTQ+ rights and identifies as pansexual. The star recently told Hailey Bieber on an episode of "Bright Minded," an Instagram show, that the reason she left her church was "that [her gay friends] weren’t being accepted." She adds, "they were being sent to conversion therapies.” Miley is a powerful advocate in the vegan community for speaking up about the cruel treatment of animals. The animal-loving celeb wrote on Instagram, “if you choose to eat meat … you love pets, not animals."  She recently adopted a dog from an animal shelter with her boyfriend Cody Simpson.

Kate Flowers is an influencer and vegan activist. She expresses her passion for the LGBTQ+ community on social media and sells apparel with the message: "love is love" on her website. Kate mentions that she grew up with a gay father and was taught at a young age to accept and love everybody.

Kate makes YouTube videos with her ex-girlfriend, Mae Flowers, who is also a vegan influencer, about their favorite plant-based recipes and their vegan journeys. She is also the author of the E-Book, Freedom Food, which is a 21-Day vegan meal plan that will help you eat a mostly whole food diet.

Jenna Talackova is a Canadian reality star who won global acclaim for being the first transgender woman to compete for the Miss Universe title. Jenna decided to eat vegan after studying nutrition and recognizing her love for animals. Jenna collaborated on a campaign with PETA that says her healthiest transformation was going vegan and suggests viewers to "try a vegan makeover, and see how well it suits you." In the photo of the ad, Jenna is swearing a tiara and outfit made out of veggies.