Vegansexual: A term created by Annie Potts, University of Canterbury, co-director of the New Zealand Centre for Human and Animal Studies to describe a vegan that will only have a sexual relationship with another vegan.
You’re a single vegan, and probably just like the rest of us, looking for that special person to spend the rest of your life with. Though the question is, do you settle for a meat eater, vegetarian, or wait for the vegan guy/girl of your dreams to sweep you off your feet?
Some hold the belief that by only dating other vegans you are limiting your options, and that you are doing veganism a disservice by not ‘converting’ meat eaters. Because that is supposedly something that you’d be able to do easier in a relationship. Whilst others find even the though of dating someone that wasn’t vegan to be repulsive.
Will you stand by your convictions and come out as a loud and proud vegansexual, or do you not want narrow the field by putting a restriction on what your partner eats/wears/uses/etc?
If you think you will never find a suitable partner, then go for it make the field as wide as you want, and hope that something comes by that you might be interested in. Whereas if you know you will find the ideal partner, then narrow the field as much as you want and don’t settle for anything less than the best.
One thing that you do need to acknowledge and accept is that there will be a point in your life where your veganism will have an impact on your relationship, and activities with your partner.
For example, can you handle the smell of cooking animal flesh?
The answer may be yes now, though what happens in a year or two’s time when you can’t? That means that you won’t be able to cook a meat based meal together, will probably limit you going to the traditional BBQ, and maybe even the places that you visit when you go out to dinner.
What about if you want to have a rant to your partner about something that you have seen or experienced?
At the end of a bad day, there is seldom anything better than coming home, spending time with your partner, and having a good old vent about the happenings of the previous 24 hours.
What were to happen if you were distressed by the sight of a fully laden cattle truck/train that was obviously off to the slaughterhouse? Could you tell your partner about this, and what sort of response would you get from your partner, considering that they are indirectly responsible for the truck/train being there in the first place.
What about kids? Will they be raised vegan or meat eaters?
Will your partner be accepting of other vegans and the views that they have?
What if your partner hold true the archaic belief that they need to consume animal products with every meal? That would obviously mean you wouldn’t be able to take them to a vegan restaurant.
The other thing that you have to think about is that could you honestly get involved with someone that was doing something that you found to be morally wrong or offensive?
For most vegans, the decision to stop exploiting animals is based on it being morally and ethically wrong. I highly doubt that you would stay with your partner if they were a problem gambler, drank excessively, or continually had affairs. All of these are perfectly legal in our current society, and socially justifiable reasons for ending a relationship. Why should you view your belief in veganism any differently?
Now I am not saying vegans are perfect by any means, we are human after all, it does help if both people in the relationship are on the same page, so to speak.
And really, someone that eats meat or dairy isn’t going to understand why you go all gooey and weak at the knees when you find out that there is a new brand of vegan cheese on the market.
Ultimately, as with everything else in life, the final choice is yours about who you have a relationship. I just know that for me, I wouldn’t want to miss out on a fantastic vegan female because I was involved with a less that fulfilling relationship with a meat eater.
And pardon the pun, it is food for thought…
This article was written by the founder of VeganPolice.com.au, Cameron Blewett.
Cameron is a long term vegan (30+yrs), and is passionate about veganism, and helping people to understand more about it and giving other animals equal consideration.
You can find Cameron’s other rants on his website, CameronBlewett.blog