The Don't Ask Don't Tell of the Meat Industry

My fellow queers - stay proud, stand up, and go veg!

Is the Meat Industry Homophobic?

You don't have to look far to see how the meat/dairy industry perpetrate sexist and misogynist attitudes throughout their marketing campaigns as illustrated by the brilliant author of the Sexual Politics of Meat Carol J. Adams. Click here to see the slideshow she created of sexist and outright offensive ads against women.

It got me thinking that if the meat industry is sexist are they possibly homophobic as well? There have definitely been subtle hints throughout society that meat is somehow associated with masculinity, and to abstain from meat means you become a "vegetable". Vegetables are healthy, how did the pro-meat advocates turn that around on us into something negative? Recently Hummer came out with a commercial showing a man buying some tofu products, the man next to him gives him a strange look, piles up tons of meat on the counter. The man buying the tofu feels odd and has to "restore the balance" according to Hummer and reclaim his masculinity by purchasing a Hummer. What is this clip really trying to show? To me the commercial is implying the man buying the tofu is a sissy and that real men eat meat and buy Hummers (a man's car). The video clip is below.



Burger King recently launched their "Eat Like a Man" campaign. Below is a video of one of their commercials. Where this man gets sick of eating "chick food" ie: vegetarian. In a show of masculinity he bursts out of the restaurant into a parade of men who are reclaiming their masculinity by eating meat. This implies men who choose not to eat meat or eat less meat are somehow sissies or less of a man.



I find this topic really interesting and there are many more examples of it, if you are all interested in the connection between gay & animal liberation, please read my earlier post here entitled Intersection Between Animal Liberation & Queer Liberation.

So what do you think, is the meat industry the culprit of these homophobic and gender stereotyping ads from Hummer, Burger King and others?