When you think vegan, do you think PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)? Do you think of the sexism, the fat shaming, and the kale juice that seem to permeate definitions of the movement? Or how about veganism’s race problem? For more information on this, check out these articles: Vegan Trumps All and Veganism Has a Serious Race Problem.
There are several issues within our movement. Our movement is far from being inclusive. That being said, there are some really wonderful folks who are working hard at providing society with an alternative. One of these alternatives is T.O.F.U. Magazine.
T.O.F.U. Magazine “focuses on intersectionality and the need for the vegan and animal rights community to address key issues within itself as well as outside.” Their mission aims to “spark conversations that will change the world for more than just the animals.” Pretty cool, huh?
The magazine has always been offered in digital form for a pay-what-you-can price, including $0. In 2015, the magazine launched a Kickstarter campaign to publish The Book of T.O.F.U., an anthology of articles written for the magazine. The campaign was successful and the book was published on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper in a carbon neutral, FSC certified facility. You can grab digital copies of the magazine and the book via this link if you’d like to check them out.
I met Ryan, the founder and editor of the magazine, years back when he took the magazine on tour. Having only really known about the vegan communities offered through peta2, I was really happy to see that there were other communities I could be a part of. Ryan and I stayed in touch via social media and I eventually ended up writing something for the magazine! The first piece I wrote tells my story of growing up while being vegan. It’s included in issue 8 and also in The Book of T.O.F.U.
T.O.F.U. Magazine is almost ready to release its eleventh issue, and you can now subscribe to it! The magazine has just recently joined Patreon. Patreon is a platform that allows content creators to build their own subscription content service. It also allows folks to receive funding on a recurring basis for work that they’re doing. A good example of this is the We Animals Patreon page. They’re accepting monthly pledges so that they can continue their animal rights work. T.O.F.U. Magazine is using Patreon to receive subscriptions for the magazine. There are various subscriptions you can choose from, and the money that you pledge will help bring the magazine to print. Trust me, you’ll want to get your hands on a copy of the next issue. Here is its description:
The eleventh issue of T.O.F.U. will focus on the topic of veganism and physical health. Going beyond the facade that veganism is the path to perfection, the issue hopes to provide a space for people to talk about their battles with declining health, chronic illness, and disease while maintaining (or questioning the end of) a vegan diet. Ideally, this will then lead to dialogue regarding our relationships with food, and mental health (including disordered eating), in future issues.
Check out the Patreon page by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/2jommMr
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