I am a minister of the Universal Life Church. For many such ministers, this is a way to be able to perform marriage ceremonies. That’s why I did it.  But as I’ve received their monthly mailings, I’ve grown to find that much of what they believe resonates with me.

Yesterday, I received their monthly newsletter that veganism, when it’s ethical veganism, is a protected class, at least according to one judge in the U.K.  This is so exciting to me. As a vegan, I have definitely felt there has been discrimination. But I’ve also grown to see that eating meat is almost an addiction. People are not willing to give up their meat. It’s almost as if they see it as their god-given right to eat meat.

In the U.K. they have the Equality Act of 2010. The premises are (from an article by Lexology):

“The Equality Act 2010 provides protections against discrimination or harassment based on any of nine protected characteristics. The relevant protected characteristic here is “religion or belief”. While it is clear that religions such as Christianity or Sikhism would be protected by this section, the requirements are quite broad in relation to “belief”. According to the explanatory note for the Equality Act 2010, and case law since then, for a philosophical belief to be a protected characteristic, it must:

• Be genuinely held
• Be a belief, not just an opinion or viewpoint
• Have attained a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance
• Be worthy of respect in a democratic society
• Not be incompatible with human dignity and not conflict the fundamental rights of others
• Have similar status or cogency to a religious belief
• It does not, however, have to be shared by others

What I like about this is it allows for non-traditional religions or beliefs such as veganism. I know of people who became vegan for philosophical reasons and then began to see the medical benefits. Honestly, I like this law a lot. Really. Maybe we should all apply it in our own lives and give others respect.

Namaste y’all

Links used in my blog:

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9e5ef134-7921-4cbf-800c-efa651d8c07a

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ethical-veganism-discrimination-uk_n_5e139f42e4b0b2520d263b0e

https://www.themonastery.org/blog/veganism-ruled-protected-class-in-uk-comparable-to-religious-belief?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Agriculture+Shock&utm_campaign=January+8%2C++2020

https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/01/06/ethical-veganism-is-a-protected-belief-uk-judge.html  

https://www.themonastery.org/blog/veganism-ruled-protected-class-in-uk-comparable-to-religious-belief?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=Agriculture+Shock&utm_campaign=January+8%2C++2020