There are so many people whose lives have been affected in such a positive way by punk and hardcore and especially when it comes to animal rights. This website will be dedicated solely to animal rights and all the punk and hardcore bands (and sub-genres) that support animal rights through their music.

What gave us the idea the idea of starting this website was an essay written by NYCVeganPunk outlining the connection between punk rock and ethical veganism. In doing so, he explains a good bit about how he came to be vegan and an animal rights activist. Most of what follows was to be printed in SATYA magazine last year. Unfortunately, they closed up shop too soon.

Listening to punk rock as a teenager challenged me question every aspect and activity in my life. I was drawn to the music, art and words of punk rock. Intellectual words of thought and anger at the status quo that I had never read before, struck a chord with me. Songs about war, racism, religion, animal liberation and veganism filled me with an intensity that I hadn't found in music until that point. Listening to punk rock records back then challenged me to ask questions and view things with a critical eye. When I began to question where the food on my plate came from, I found very uncomfortable answers. I didn't want a cow to be hanged upside down, shot in the head with a bolt gun and bled dry simply so that I could be provided with a meal. Having paid close attention to the lyrics of bands like Flux of Pink Indians, Resist and Exist, Conflict, Nausea and others I became interested in animal rights. Lyrics like:

"The factory's still churning out, all processed, packed and neat An obscure butchered substance and the label reads "meat" Hidden behind false names such as pork, ham, veal and beef An eye's an eye, a life's a life, the now forgotten belief".

Considering those Conflict lyrics now, that was a pivotal point in my life. Shortly afterward, I realized the cruelty I questioned was something I had control over. Inevitably I eliminated animals from my diet and became vegan in October of 1989.

To the untrained ear, the listener may mistakenly assume that the average punk song is simply designed to shock and offend. That would be a mistake. Punk rock comprises many social and political philosophies and thoughts on issues including anarchism, homophobia, racism, sexism, environmentalism and animal rights. I can't remember a single demonstration I've attended in close to two decades where I haven't been joined by a group of like-minded punks. Whether it was the Republican National Convention protests here in NYC in 2004, the Anti-war demos in 2003, the weekly NYC Food Not Bombs outreach efforts or every Fur-Free Friday demonstration since the 1980's, punks were well represented.

The rights of animals were brought to the forefront of punk rock thought by European anarcho-punk bands in the early 1980's. Through their lyrics and outspoken support of direct action campaigns to sabotage foxhunts and end vivisection, these bands issued a "call to arms" for would-be activists and elevated punk beyond the nihilism and shock value of its early history. Bands like the Subhumans, Discharge, Icons of Filth, Riot/Clone, Anti-Sect and many, many others began to explore the possibilities of music as more than just entertainment but as a powerful form of communication. As these bands began to hone their skills, they developed a more articulate political criticism and rejection of the dominant culture of animal cruelty.

In the early 1980's the punk scene began transforming into a far more underground culture and scene. The music became harder, faster and far more political in its reaction to events and in the attention it paid to particular issues. Previously punk had been categorized as a working-class youth sub-culture, but with its spread to United States and evolution during the 1980's, punk began to exhibit more of the characteristics of a middle-class counter-culture. The dominant understanding of punk is that of a youth subculture based on "symbolic" and sensational forms of resistance. However, as punk moved increasingly underground and evolved it began to attract a more politically active and vocal element of disaffected intellectuals, primarily from suburban middle-class youth. This helped transform punk into a more articulate and unwavering movement of political protest and critique.

Politically and socially conscious punk bands began addressing a range of socially relevant issues, including animal rights. Punks began to organize animal rights benefit shows, released animal rights themed record compilations and published fanzines that tackled the issue as well. Today, in almost every major city in the world, many involved in the punk sub-culture are working hard to further the cause of animals.

The similarities and crossover relations of punks and animal rights activists should come as no surprise. Both communities stand proudly resistant to mainstream society and corporate culture. Both punks and vegans are non-conformists who defiantly question prevailing modes of thought. Questions about what others take for granted concerning the treatment of animals, is not asked by the conformist whose ideas are shaped by those around them. As many reading this already know, an ethical vegan does not rely on others to determine his or her own reality. Questioning conformity involves the questioning of authority as well. Every vegan has endured some form of marginalization as a result of the decision we've made not to participate in the slaughter of animals. So too have many punks endured the cultural cues to look, act, sound and think a certain way. The most important expression of any "radical" philosophy is the rejection of contemporary norms, regardless of how popular or widely held they may be.

Punks, vegans and animal activists all share a deep sense of commitment to their beliefs. And the beliefs we share are the foundations upon which we frequently define ourselves. Perhaps most of all is the "think-for-yourself" ideal of not accepting the norm and standing up for what we believe in that makes the similarities between punk rock and ethical veganism particularly understandable.

My introduction to veganism and animal rights may be no different from many others who first considered the ethics of meat eating by questioning the very source of where their meal came from. The spark in my case came while listening to a punk rock record. I suppose that I was attracted to each for much the same reasons. Punk, and then veganism challenged me to examine the world around me. From there I realized that by putting words into action I could make a difference. I have punk rock to thank for opening my door to becoming vegan and for helping to shape the ideals, opinions and dreams that I still hold today.

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