www.ambiente.us FEBRUARY | FEBRERO 2010
PETA's People of the Year
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
PETA recently named talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and style guru Tim Gunn our
Woman of the Year and Man of the Year. It is just a coincidence that both Ellen and Tim
are gay. Or is it?
Leaders of social justice movements have historically recognized that the liberation of
one oppressed group is linked to the liberation of other groups. Perhaps, as openly
gay Americans, having the courage to speak out about what they think and feel and
what they believe regarding respect for all beings—animals included—is just part of
who Tim and Ellen are.
Let's start with Ellen. I've always thought that Ellen DeGeneres was funny, but my
admiration for her has grown over the years.
The first time I remember thinking "she has an animal consciousness" was when I
heard her standup routine, more than a decade ago, about going to someone's house
and seeing a stuffed deer's head on the wall. Ellen said she asked why it was there
and was told, "Because I love animals."
She gave one of those Ellen looks and said,
"Well, I love my mother but I just carry her
photograph in my wallet."
The second time that I knew she was thinking
about what animals go through was when I
PETA's People of the Year
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
PETA recently named talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and style guru Tim Gunn our
Woman of the Year and Man of the Year. It is just a coincidence that both Ellen and Tim
are gay. Or is it?
Leaders of social justice movements have historically recognized that the liberation of
one oppressed group is linked to the liberation of other groups. Perhaps, as openly
gay Americans, having the courage to speak out about what they think and feel and
what they believe regarding respect for all beings—animals included—is just part of
who Tim and Ellen are.
Let's start with Ellen. I've always thought that Ellen DeGeneres was funny, but my
admiration for her has grown over the years.
The first time I remember thinking "she has an animal consciousness" was when I
heard her standup routine, more than a decade ago, about going to someone's house
and seeing a stuffed deer's head on the wall. Ellen said she asked why it was there
and was told, "Because I love animals."
She gave one of those Ellen looks and said,
"Well, I love my mother but I just carry her
photograph in my wallet."
The second time that I knew she was thinking
about what animals go through was when I
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heard her talk about catch-and-release fishing. Ellen joked about seeing some
pedestrians while she was driving and how she had deliberately mowed them down,
then watched them get to their feet, rolled down her window and yelled, "OK, you can
go now. Just wanted to see if I could hit you!"
The plight of animals—those fish who lose their protective coating and die for real
when anglers pull them out of the water for "fun," and the deer who have the audacity to
stand on the lawn of the house that now occupies their former grazing grounds, and
get shot for doing so—was burrowing into her brain.
Luckily, Ellen has found a life partner who shares her compassion, and shortly before
they married, she and Portia De Rossi took another leap: They tossed all that was
stolen from animals out of their fridge and kitchen cabinets and went vegan. Their
wedding had a vegan menu to die for, but no animals died in the making of it. Some of
the recipes are available for everyone to try in Chef Tal Ronnen's New York Times best-
selling cookbook, The Conscious Cook.
In 2009, Ellen outdid herself, making sure that what she had learned about the
abysmal suffering of pigs and chickens on factory farms was passed on to her
audience. On her show, she made vegan pizza with Chef Wolfgang Puck, spoke with
Dr. Neal Barnard, head of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, about
the health benefits of a vegan diet and just in time for Thanksgiving, "talked turkey"
about the everyday abuse of animals in the meat industry with Jonathan Safran Foer,
author of Eating Animals.
Then there is the gallant, gorgeous Tim. So tall and self-possessed, he is the man
about whom straight girls like me might say "Oh, no!" when they hear that he is
pedestrians while she was driving and how she had deliberately mowed them down,
then watched them get to their feet, rolled down her window and yelled, "OK, you can
go now. Just wanted to see if I could hit you!"
The plight of animals—those fish who lose their protective coating and die for real
when anglers pull them out of the water for "fun," and the deer who have the audacity to
stand on the lawn of the house that now occupies their former grazing grounds, and
get shot for doing so—was burrowing into her brain.
Luckily, Ellen has found a life partner who shares her compassion, and shortly before
they married, she and Portia De Rossi took another leap: They tossed all that was
stolen from animals out of their fridge and kitchen cabinets and went vegan. Their
wedding had a vegan menu to die for, but no animals died in the making of it. Some of
the recipes are available for everyone to try in Chef Tal Ronnen's New York Times best-
selling cookbook, The Conscious Cook.
In 2009, Ellen outdid herself, making sure that what she had learned about the
abysmal suffering of pigs and chickens on factory farms was passed on to her
audience. On her show, she made vegan pizza with Chef Wolfgang Puck, spoke with
Dr. Neal Barnard, head of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, about
the health benefits of a vegan diet and just in time for Thanksgiving, "talked turkey"
about the everyday abuse of animals in the meat industry with Jonathan Safran Foer,
author of Eating Animals.
Then there is the gallant, gorgeous Tim. So tall and self-possessed, he is the man
about whom straight girls like me might say "Oh, no!" when they hear that he is
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off limits. Last year, the guru of good taste narrated PETA's video "Fashion Victims,"
which exposes the cruelty of the fur trade and details how pythons used for belts and
bags are sometimes nailed to trees and skinned alive—and the media have been
buzzing ever since.
Tim points out that there is an alternative to every unkind "material," from fake snake to
mock croc and wonderful natural fibers and synthetics. As for fur, Tim recently told the
Los Angeles Times, "Wearing fur is like wearing a big sign reading, 'I'm in favor of
inflicting cruelty and pain on animals as a fashion statement.' Unspeakable torture is
inflicted on dogs, cats, bunnies, raccoons, foxes, minks, and myriad trapped, helpless
creatures in the name of fashion—yes, dogs and cats."
While he was chair of the prestigious fashion design department at Parsons The New
School for Design, Tim started a program to allow PETA to give presentations to
students so that they could see for themselves what happens to all manner of
animals who are frightened, tormented, abused and killed for their skins.
And thanks to Tim, fur challenges are noticeably absent from Project Runway—and
there's zero fur at Liz Claiborne, where he is now chief creative officer.
Members of the gay community have fought long and hard to overcome violence,
humiliation and prejudice directed at them just because they were "different." Isn't it
time to fight against the same prejudices that allow animals to be treated cruelly for
something as frivolous as a parka collar or a pair of shoes?
Animals' lives are as important to them as our lives are to us, yet all too often their
feelings are entirely discounted, even though they experience the same emotions—
fear, love, grief, joy and pain—that we do. Ellen DeGeneres and Tim Gunn are helping
to change hearts and minds. By speaking up for the defenseless and rejecting cruelty
in favor of kindness, they are showing that
which exposes the cruelty of the fur trade and details how pythons used for belts and
bags are sometimes nailed to trees and skinned alive—and the media have been
buzzing ever since.
Tim points out that there is an alternative to every unkind "material," from fake snake to
mock croc and wonderful natural fibers and synthetics. As for fur, Tim recently told the
Los Angeles Times, "Wearing fur is like wearing a big sign reading, 'I'm in favor of
inflicting cruelty and pain on animals as a fashion statement.' Unspeakable torture is
inflicted on dogs, cats, bunnies, raccoons, foxes, minks, and myriad trapped, helpless
creatures in the name of fashion—yes, dogs and cats."
While he was chair of the prestigious fashion design department at Parsons The New
School for Design, Tim started a program to allow PETA to give presentations to
students so that they could see for themselves what happens to all manner of
animals who are frightened, tormented, abused and killed for their skins.
And thanks to Tim, fur challenges are noticeably absent from Project Runway—and
there's zero fur at Liz Claiborne, where he is now chief creative officer.
Members of the gay community have fought long and hard to overcome violence,
humiliation and prejudice directed at them just because they were "different." Isn't it
time to fight against the same prejudices that allow animals to be treated cruelly for
something as frivolous as a parka collar or a pair of shoes?
Animals' lives are as important to them as our lives are to us, yet all too often their
feelings are entirely discounted, even though they experience the same emotions—
fear, love, grief, joy and pain—that we do. Ellen DeGeneres and Tim Gunn are helping
to change hearts and minds. By speaking up for the defenseless and rejecting cruelty
in favor of kindness, they are showing that
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one person really can make a difference in the world. And they are gently reminding
us that we can, and should, stand up against injustice, regardless of the race of the
victim, regardless of gender or sexual orientation—and regardless of species.
Ingrid E. Newkirk is the author of One Can Make a Difference and the president and
founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA
23510; www.PETA.org.
Her latest book is The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights.
Copyright © Peta & AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source.
us that we can, and should, stand up against injustice, regardless of the race of the
victim, regardless of gender or sexual orientation—and regardless of species.
Ingrid E. Newkirk is the author of One Can Make a Difference and the president and
founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA
23510; www.PETA.org.
Her latest book is The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights.
Copyright © Peta & AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source.
