Noah's First Powerlifting Competition Vegan Style - February 2009
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Hi, I'm Jamie Yew. I'm feisty, passionate, daggy, fun, cheeky, loud, out of control, inappropriate, confrontational, hot-tempered, impulsive and furious about inequality and social injustices. I have an unhealthy obsession with challenging the status quo and changing the world to a more tolerant and compassionate one. I equally loathe sexism, racism, homophobia, classism and speciesism and believe to abolish these we need stop thinking one issue is more important than another issue but instead, build alliances and solidarity between social justice movements so we can create a force of change to be reckoned with. Freedom for all sentient beings!!!
I was homeless from the age of thirteen and I know what it feels like to be bullied, blamed, invisible, marginalised and discriminated against for being in that situation as well as being treated unequally for being a female, ethnic and coming from a lower socio-economic background. Homelessness is a very personal issue for me and made me who I am today. I now work as a social worker with mainly homeless people with complex and multiple needs, families who sadly become homeless, women and children escaping family violence, individuals who have just been released from prison, sex workers and many other individuals.
I'm a feminist and a pro-choice activist. I don't understand 'pro-lifers'? Who the hell do they think they are to tell a woman what to do with her own body? Women are entitled to make an informed decision whether it be continuing their pregnancy, continuing their pregnancy to put up for adoption or termination. If you can't trust a woman with a choice, how can you trust a woman with a baby? I am a strong advocate and supporter for the decriminalisation of abortion at all stages of a pregnancy. Until all women are given full reproductive rights, access to paid maternity leave, free childcare and equal access to reproductive technologies, women will never be treated equally to men. Please check out my blog, 'Why I'm Pro choice and Vegan'. It's our bodies, our lives and our right to decide!
I'm vegan and an animal rights activist NOT an animal welfare campaigner. I believe animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on or use for entertainment. I don't believe in 'free range' or 'humane' meat. When you are working together with the 'free range' and 'humane' industries that exploit and kill animals, how can you say you are advocating for the best interest of animals? For example if a guy hugs his girlfriend, kisses his girlfriend, takes her out to dinner and buys her presents, does it make it alright if this guy is beating up his girlfriend? Promoting this is a sell out and betrayal of the animals. 'Free range' and 'humane' meat is just another way to create another industry, kill more animals and ease the conscience of carnivores so that they can continue consuming corpses. Murder is murder. I don't get vegetarians who say they are pro-animal rights. How can you be pro animal rights if you are still contributing to the suffering of animals? The dairy industry is in many ways even crueler then the meat industry. I view vegetarianism as a stepping stone to veganism. I'm not the type of person who is going to cherry top reality to make you feel better about the harm you are causing.
I'm NOT interested in making money, diamonds especially blood diamonds, owning a car or house, getting married because marriage is a human right not a heterosexual privilege, having children because there is a prediction that there is going to be close to 44 million orphans worldwide by 2010 and I support the right of every abandoned child to be adopted, competing with egos to climb the corporate ladder or getting facials, my hair or my nails done over the weekend. I usually find it difficult to get along with individuals who follow the crowd, individuals who don't take any responsibility for their behaviour and always blame others for their issues, individuals who are stuck in the victim mentality, individuals who back stab, compete, betray, manipulate and exploit someones weakness to 'further' themselves and individuals who are self obsessed and can't think outside of themselves. I despise ignorance, arrogance, greed and judgemental people. If you are in a majority of these categories even if you are vegan, an activist, working in the welfare sector or working towards social change, I probably want nothing to do with you.
I have received an overwhelming amount of supportive, lovely and encouraging messages from many different people I have never met from around the world. Thank you, I am so touched by all the kind words. I am sorry if I am not able to respond to all the messages individually but please know your messages inspire me to keep fighting for change!
On the other hand, if you don't like me don't bother sending me abusive or nasty messages or long essays to tell me why I am wrong, it will only be a waste of your time. I am flattered so many of you care so much about my opinion that you choose to ignore this, and continue to send me abusive messages as well as writing nasty blogs about me and photo shop my protest pictures with offensive captions : ) It's highly unlikely you will change my mind on issues that are close to my heart. If I enrage you that much it's really simple...delete me and stop reading my page!