The below letter was sent to media in my partner’s hometown of Macon, Georgia, after I learned that the local paper refused to publish our same-sex wedding announcement. The story resulted in widespread media coverage in the Georgia Voice and others, with pickup by GLAAD, and even led to a in the aftermath of the Supreme Court Read More
Category: Advocacy
Changing the world, one opinion piece at a time
The Green Movement of the 21st Century
(An article for my college newspaper, the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jacket, written in 2007) As a species, humans have been expanding and industrializing for decades, but not until the mid-1900s did we stop to look back at the consequences of our actions. With the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring concerning the harmful effects of pesticides, the environmental movement Read More
A Fight for Clean Water
(Featured in HoneyColony‘s Buzzworthy Blogs here.) I’ve always been enthralled by water. Standing beneath a curtain of water cascading down a mountainside on a chilly morning is among the most invigorating experiences I’ve ever had. There is something magical about the way the water perpetually flows off a cliff, so fresh and crisp, before it Read More
Sentience and Speciesism
(An article written for my college newspaper, the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jacket, in 2009) Most people believe that animals can feel pleasure and pain. We shower our dogs and cats with love, affection, and even birthday gifts, eager for a tail wag or sloppy kisses in return. Conversely, we’re overcome with guilt when our busy feet happen Read More
Virginia Uranium’s money won’t trump the value of our voices
(Posted in the Sierra Club’s newsletter, the Old Dominion Sierran, in fall 2013.) Earlier this month, reports revealed that Virginia Uranium, Inc., the company responsible for unrelenting efforts to lift our state’s 30-year ban on uranium mining, spent $572,607 lobbying Virginia officials last year – the most of any group in Virginia, and as much as Read More
Man and Inhumanity
(Written for a college English course in 2005.) We take our children to Sunday school and guide them on a path of respect and the “Golden Rule,” instilling in them a sense of morality, of right and wrong. Our lives operate around ethics; these are the maxims which lead any decent human being to make Read More
Pressure mounts on Governor to respect ban on uranium mining
Published in the Virginia Sierra Club’s newsletter, the Old Dominion Sierran.
This spring, thanks to thousands of letters and phone calls to the General Assembly, the perseverance of hundreds of volunteers around the state, and the support of over 100 business and organizations in Virginia, Virginia Uranium, Inc. (VUI) walked away from the legislative session defeated, as measures that would have overturned Virginia’s 30-year moratorium on uranium mining were killed by their sponsors because they didn’t have the votes.
Mary Matalin Fights “Ag-Gag” Bills
While working at PETA, I composed the script for the below video that was narrated by Republican strategist (and self-confessed meat-eater) Mary Matalin, who appealed to fellow conservatives in states around the country that were considering “ag gag” bills – bills that, if enacted, would ban the filming of horrific, often illegal abuses on factory Read More
Fairfax: Urge the Board of Supervisors to Support the Moratorium on Uranium Mining
An action alert for the Sierra Club’s anti-uranium mining campaign: As the fight to protect Virginia’s moratorium on uranium mining took center stage in Southside last year, the Fairfax Water Authority published a critical report noting a number of mines that could come online in Northern Virginia should the moratorium be lifted. All of these mines Read More
Chained Protesters and Caged Woman Converge at Ringling Bros. Circus
(This media release resulted in coverage in local outlets including the Richmond Times-Dispatch.) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 19, 2013 Chained Protesters and Caged Woman Converge at Ringling Bros. Circus Richmond, VA–-The circus is coming to Richmond, but for the stars of the show—the animals—it’s not just fun and games. To draw attention to Read More
PETA at the Kansas State Fair
I crafted the below letter to the Kansas State Fair (and similar letters to other fairs around the country) asking for permission for PETA to erect a booth to show the grisly, often overlooked side of animal agriculture. The application resulted in a booth, and even a lawsuit over censorship ensued, covered by national outlets Read More