PROTECTING ANIMALS IS SEXY
Albuquerquean a finalist for PETA’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50 award
Vicki Garay, an Albuquerque woman, is a finalist for PETA’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50 award.
Vicki Garay said she knew the minute she watched a video about the dairy industry that she would never eat a piece of cheese or drink a cup of milk again.
Garay was already a practicing vegetarian but decided to go a step further and become a vegan. Practicing vegans not only give up meat, but they will not eat or drink any animal products.
Her decision three years ago has put her in the running to win a free trip to India. Garay, 56,has been named one of six national finalists in the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Sexiest Vegan Over 50 contest.
Garay said she entered the contest because she thought it would be fun but never expected anything to come of it.
According to contest organizers, they are not judging the attractiveness of their contestants by just their looks.
“We don’t mean great headshots or perfect body mass index,” they said on their website. “Compassion, enthusiasm, dedication, optimism, smarts, and being fun, encouraging and uplifting — all those virtues that make a vegan sexy are what we’re looking for.”
Contestants must also advocate for animals either through their daily choices or community organizing. The organization will choose one man and one woman as winners. Each will get a photo shoot in Los Angeles and an eight-day trip through northern India courtesy of VegVoyages Vegan Adventure Tours. The tour will feature yoga, visitation to historical landmarks and local vegan cuisine.
Growing up on a small farm in the South Valley, Garay said her family kept a variety of animals as both pets and a source of food. She said the animals were well cared for and she was aware that some of them would later become a meal for her family. She said in the back of her mind it began to bother her but she was still a carnivore at that time. She eased her way into vegetarianism as she became an adult and took the plunge completely eight years ago. Her decision, she said, was made for ethical reasons.
“I thought I was doing my part to protect animals by being a vegetarian,” she said. “Once I started doing research on the dairy industry, I realized how horrible it is.”
She said once she saw what she believed was a legitimate snapshot of the dairy business, giving up cheese, milk and even ice cream was an easy decision.
“I have not looked back,” she said. “I don’t crave anything. I had a great motivation.”
The hardest part might have been learning how to order in restaurants. Initially she said she would ask the server a lot of questions about how the food was prepared and what was in the dishes.
“Now I say ‘I’m vegan. What can you do for me?’” she said. “Most places are open to creating something I can eat.”
Garay said she had just started dating her partner when she decided to become a vegan. He had only recently become a vegetarian but has, over time, adopted a mostly vegan lifestyle, too. She said it would be a turn-off and difficult to date someone who did not share her lifestyle.
“The smell of meat in the house is very off-putting to me,” she said. “It would be very tough.”
Garay also practices yoga and has two dogs. She was a stay-athome mom for many years but now works at a car dealership.
Garay has three adult children, two sons and a daughter, who are mostly vegetarian. Her parents still live in the South Valley and she is the only vegan in her extended family. She said her change in diet has left her feeling better both physically and mentally.
“I would love to have everybody jump on board with it, but it’s not for everybody,” she said. “Knowing nothing had to die or suffer for me to have a meal is good for my soul.”