Shannon Taber
SHANNON TABER of LUCKY BIRD TATTOO: “No one creature deserves to be here more than another. And we don’t get to say which ones are worth more or less. And we absolutely don’t deserve to make money and capitalize on the death and harm of others. Human or animal!”
ANTHONY FANTANO
ANTHONY FANTANO of THE NEEDLE DROP: “Your average person understands the horrors of the farming industry and the ethics of killing a sentient being, but doesn’t want to grapple with it because eating animals is just so unquestioned and normalized.”
MIKE CESARIO
MIKE CESARIO of TWITCHING TONGUES, PITY SEX, FORCED ORDER & HOLY BLADE: “People have the right to make the choices they feel are right for them. That being said, when someone is vegan, I immediately have a different type of respect for them. I love compassion.”
JUSTIN REDINGTON
JUSTIN REDINGTON of TUNNEL JUMPER: “It’s all about doing as little harm as possible, however that may be. Throughout the years I’ve become more and more dedicated and involved in the movement.”
TEMP TATS ZINE
TEMP TATS ZINE: “The fight for human liberation and animal liberation is entwined, we do not need to pick one issue over the other. It is the same fight. Both humans and non-humans deserve a good quality life with dignity.”
SILAKBO
ROMEO & NILO of SILAKBO: “The essence of veganism, to me, is recognizing that I am not above anything in this world. I exist within it alongside my fellow living beings. It’s an extension of straight edge to me, because it’s me being mindful of the things I consume and the relation to others.”
COUNTER FANZINE
COUNTER FANZINE: “I believe veganism is inherently political, and to attempt to separate it from politics is to reduce it to a diet that stands in the way of animal liberation; at that point, it's no longer veganism. While the health benefits of veganism are nice, at its core, it is about the animals.”
AIDAN AMPHLETT
AIDAN AMPHLETT of XCRUCIBLEX: “Straight Edge is often more viewed as a personal choice when compared with veganism which causes direct harm, abuse and cruelty to animals but in reality, they both cause serious harm to society and the environment.”
JAKUB HLAVÁČEK
JAKUB HLAVÁČEK of DREAMxWORLD: “They also started to understand that I’m vegan because of all the suffering we, as humans, cause to animals.”
HUNTER WINSTEAD
HUNTER WINSTEAD of TORTURE: “Don’t do something just so you have a slogan to yell and a flag to fly, because when your falsehood comes to light, then you make the true believers look like fools.”
DAVEY HAVOK
DAVEY HAVOK of AFI: “Can one torture and murder animals whilst living in opposition of recreational drug use? Yes. But, if one opposed his recreational drug use and is dreaming of a world without recreational drug use for a better place and a better humanity, out of respect for oneself and others - to not extend that to innocent creatures doesn't make any sense to me.”
D. ( VEGAN JUSTICE )
“D.” of VEGAN JUSTICE: “I'm vegan for the animals and that is a reward in itself, I can look at myself in the mirror. I'm straight edge to be the best version of me.“
IVY WRIGHT
IVY WRIGHT of XEROED: “Veganism seems like the next logical step to take after claiming edge. Like, you have said no more to substances and taking control of your own body and mind, and ending the exploitation of yourself that tobacco, liquor companies and drugs do to people, so the next step is to help end exploitation for those who don't get a voice in the matter, being the animals without a voice to speak up.”
DANIEL GUN
DANIEL GUN of HEADSPLITTA: “I was convinced right away because when I do something, I go all in or not at all. I've never regretted living vegan and Straight Edge. This is my life—I don't even think about it anymore. It's as natural to me as breathing or drinking water.”
MITTENS XVX
MITTENS XVX of DIY CONSPIRACY: “Being vegan straight edge makes it much easier to cope with a difficult and isolating world.”
CHRIS LAPOINTE
CHRIS LAPOINTE of WAKE OF HUMANITY: “We have access to so much information and science that if you make the choice of branding yourself as “straight edge” abstaining from alcohol, drugs, smoking, it seems to be a natural choice to be vegan as well. If you’re into not harming yourself with drugs and alcohol, then you should maybe take it a step further.”
DANE EVANS
DANE EVANS of TO THE GRAVE: “I want people that come across our band to understand what is happening on their behalf to animals, the gravity and scale of the violence and how they’d feel if it was them or their loved ones in that situation.”
DENNIS MERRICK
DENNIS MERRICK of EARTH CRISIS: “We started and continue with Earth Crisis for two main reasons - we love playing hardcore music and we have a message that we feel is important enough to share with the world.”