Want to Talk to Guys in Your Life About Animal Rights? Read This!

Posted by Calvin on January 15, 2025

Even though the animal rights movement is booming, there’s still a big gender divide. Women and girls are more likely to say they care about animals, and you might find it trickier explaining your values to your bf, brother, or guy friend. Here’s the good news: Those guys are prime animal advocate material! Talking to guys about animal rights is sometimes different, so follow these tips for success.

Share Your Experience

Let him know what drew you to the movement and why you chose to make changes in your life to help animals. Most animal advocates grew up eating meat, drinking milk, wearing leather, and going to the circus (big yikes). 😬 Having a common starting point can make him realize he can jumpstart his animal-friendly journey, too.

Use Facts

Sometimes, guys want to hear the stats. Whip out some of these:

• Humans kill over 200 million baby animals every single day.
• If everyone went vegan, we’d reduce global farmland usage by more than 75% and still feed the world.
• The average hen at an egg-laying facility has less living space than a piece of notebook paper.
• Studies show that 90% of basic research, most of which involves animals, doesn’t lead to treatments for humans, while 95% of new drugs that test safe and effective in animals later fail in humans.
• Orcas need vast waters where they can swim up to 150 miles per day—but at SeaWorld, they spend their entire lives floating around in tiny tanks.

Stay in Opinion Mode

Skip the rant (even if you’re totally justified). Instead, point out harmful behaviors you see around you. That makes it less personal for the guy (in a good way.) He’ll prob start agreeing with you and internalize the message to tweak his actions.

Talk About Male Animals

Hearing about how male animals face discrimination might hit hard with guys you know. For example, male chicks and calves are considered useless to the egg and dairy industries and slaughtered at an early age. Workers also cut male animals’ testicles off and electroshock them to get them to ejaculate. 😰 This male exploitation can resonate deeply and open up the animal rights dialogue.

Present Solutions

No one likes a flood of negativity, right? It’s called doomscrolling for a reason, and the same thing can happen through negative convos. Make sure every problem you discuss comes with a solution: Like how eating vegan can save nearly 200 lives per year and how advocates can help get captive-held animals sent to sanctuaries.

Let Him Be Curious

Guys might hesitate to open up if they feel judged. That’s why having a friendly environment for questions—even the clueless ones—is super helpful. Just be as patient as possible and watch the animal-friendly transformation unfold.

Seek Resources

Remember: You don’t have to do this alone. There are countless animal rights books, movies, and podcasts that you can enjoy together. The more you expose him to animal rights ideas, the more he’ll soak in. You’ll know you’re a pro when he starts spouting points he learned out of nowhere. 😎

Invoke Animals Close to Him

Does he have a companion animal? Perf. That means you know he’s capable of having empathy for an animal; it’s just a matter of connecting the dots from his dog or cat to a cow, mouse, pig, and elephant. Ask how he’d feel if his companion were to be mutilated, skinned, or slaughtered, and remind him that all animals can feel pain, joy, and fear—just like his companion. 

Lead by Example

Show that you walk the walk. Make some tasty tofu dishes to share with him. Buy some cruelty-free shampoo together. Take him to his first protest. He’ll see first-hand that the animal rights movement kicks ass.

Play to “Masculinity”

Tap into his traditionally “masculine” senses: Frame animal advocacy as having the strength and courage to protect the oppressed, even when trolls try to shake you. 💪 Show him that he’ll flex his independence by being an animal advocate in a sea of nonvegans and trailblaze for others to follow.

Encourage His Empathy

Remind him that empathy goes hand-in-hand with masculinity. It takes bravery to put himself in the position of an exploited animal and embrace the pain he might feel. If the guys in his life bottle up their empathy, letting his flow freely shows that he charts his own path and stands firm on his principles.

Talk About Health

Heart disease is the #1 killer of men in the U.S., and it tends to strike men at an earlier age than women. Let him know that one of the best things he can do for his health is go vegan. 💓 Compared to animal-derived foods, vegan foods have much lower saturated fat and ZERO cholesterol. Plus, eating vegan can help decrease stomach issues and acne. That’s a win-win-win.

*****

Is he ready to join the animal-friendly side? Send him our vegan pledge—he’ll get a free Guide to Going Vegan to help make the switch much easier!