May, 2023
My main passion is social justice. I am committed to working toward the nonexploitation of animals, humans, and the environment. I oppose the suffering of animals in all forms. I am a feminist and a vegan. I retired in May, 2016 from teaching Sociology at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, part of the Maricopa County Community College District. My first task in my retirement was to finish my book on advocates/activists for animals. The book is done and see the ordering information under the "Books I've Written" tab.
I am devoting my retirement to ending animal suffering and to educate people about veganism. I am a volunteer with Saving One Life, primarily fostering and doing TNR. TNR (trap, neuter, return) is a passion of mine and I also manage a feral colony. Helping outdoor cats whether feral or abandoned tame is important to me. Once I learned that the cat overpopulation problem is primarily one of outdoor/feral cats, and about the challenges outdoor cats face for food, shelter, and safety, it was obvious to me what I needed to do. In terms of veganism, I used to volunteer with Vegan Outreach and their leafleting efforts (suspended under covid-19), as well as being a vegan mentor with them. I was a vegan mentor with PETA for several years and really enjoyed that. In April, 2019 I received the "Outstanding Vegan Mentor Award" from PETA. The presentations I had been giving at my former college on factory farming with the Factory Farming Awareness Coalition were suspended due to covid-19.
I am also involved in the debate over "Clean Meat" on the against side. Please visit this website: https://www.cleanmeat-hoax.com/ to learn how this cell-based or lab-grown "meat" is a hoax you should not support.
A Brief History:
Starting in 1990 my work focused on same-sex domestic and sexual violence. I have been active in all aspects of the domestic violence movement, such as shelter staff, support group facilitator, crisis line, education, research and writing, and so on. I coordinated the Wingspan Anti-Violence Project in Tucson for a few years. About 10 years ago I started working on transgender issues and wrote my book Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men (2008).
I have written 5 books altogether. One is on lesbian and bisexual women and sexual assault--Woman-to-Woman Sexual Violence: Does She Call it Rape? I have done trainings and presentations on LGBT issues all over the country and have spoken in other countries. Two of my other books are on prisoner issues (Soledad Women: Wives of Prisoners Speak Out, and No Safe Haven: Stories of Women in Prison), an issue I am equally passionate about. I wrote Transgender Voices: Beyond Women and Men, and my latest is Advocates for Animals: An Inside Look at Some of the Extraordinary Efforts to End Animal Suffering.
In the past few years my work has focused more on animal rights and veganism. I have a chapter in the book, Circles of Compassion: Essays Connecting Issues of Justice, that came out In December, 2014. That book, edited by Will Tuttle, explores the intersection of all social justice issues with a focus on animal rights. Some chapters are autobiographical, some focus more on issues such as hunger, sexual violence, or disability rights, but all relate somehow to animal rights and often veganism.
My newest book is based on research with people who volunteer or work at animal-focused organizations or in community efforts. Some people might work independently to feed feral colonies, or do TNR; others are volunteers with rescues; and other people are paid staff at an animal-focused agency. Some are working with wild life, others are vegan activists. I looked at why people work with and for animals, what they actually do, who these people are, and how they view their efforts. Do they see connections to broader social justice issues (or not)? What kind of changes do they want to see concerning animals in our society? There was an online survey that 204 people filled out starting at the end of April, 2015. The survey was followed by a short interview with most of the participants. The book has a strong animal rights slant because along with the people aspect I focus on the use and abuse of animals which is why people are volunteering or working to end animal suffering in the first place. You cannot discuss these issues without seeing how wrong they are.
Where I'm at Today:
I am empowered through my work but I also seek balance. I love to hike, meditate, read, and enjoy my 7 wonderful cats. I live in Mesa, Arizona and am in love with the desert. Veganism is central to my life. As I write this in April of 2023, I have been a vegan for 40+ years.
Since covid-19, my life has changed dramatically. I am still fostering cats and kittens in my rescue work and back to doing TNR. I mostly stay home. Cat care is basically what I do!
You can reach me at [email protected].