Gay Vegans Protest Farmers Markets

The Heart of the City Farmers Market in United Nations Plaza is a great, unpretentious bi-weekly affair with a strong Asian presence among both vendors and customers.



In news to me, there is a live poultry for sale operation run discreetly behind the large fountain area, and a group of gay vegans have been protesting the animal cruelty involved for over a year.



The protestors have met with a hostile reception from the vendors, market management, and the police, and have documented a few of the attacks on them at their LGBTcompassion website.



Being a meat eater, I'm not particularly sympathetic to the cause except in a sort of wonder at their ethical goodness. What really came to mind was the character Petey Fisk from the "Greater Tuna" series of plays. Between gun shop ads and right-wing announcements on radio station OKKK, Petey is introduced thus:

"This is Petey Fisk speaking to you for the Greater Tuna Humane Society, and I would like to ask each of you to take a minute to think about ducks. It's tough being a duck. Cartoons portray ducks as genetic mutants with speech impediments...and the Chinese eat their feet."