The Hen Report: “Constantly Center the Animals” | Vegan Media, Animal Liberation in Pop Culture, and Effective Advocacy

In this week’s episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann explore how animal rights themes are increasingly appearing in mainstream media – from the explicit animal liberation narrative in Wicked to the vegan consciousness in Apple TV’s Pluribus. They celebrate recent policy victories while examining why veganism often faces social resistance, emphasizing that effective advocacy keeps animals, not vegan identity, at the center of the conversation.

This episode explores:

• How the film “Wicked” presents a powerful animal liberation narrative that some viewers surprisingly miss
• Recent policy wins, including the CDC’s unexpected end to monkey research and Poland’s fur farming ban
• The psychological dynamics behind why vegans face social resistance and how to effectively navigate those conversations
• Why centering animals rather than vegan identity leads to more productive advocacy
• The importance of celebrating incremental victories in animal rights, like societal shifts away from fur

RESOURCES

• • • Have your say in the EU’s public consultation on animal welfare.
    • The Internet Loves These “Gay Sheep.” The Real Story Is Much Darker.
    • The Dutch Senate has voted to phase out public funding for primate experiments
    • Exclusive: CDC to end all monkey research
    • Poland’s president signs fur farming ban into law
    • Dr Gemma Newman Explains ‘Why People Seem To Hate Vegans’ And What To Do About It
    • Bed & Breakup
    • Governing Bodies: A Memoir, a Confluence, a Watershed
    • The Goat Conspiracy with Nicole Schonemann

We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode’s interview.

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Between now and December 31, every donation up to $20,000 will be tripled! Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!

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Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.

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The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Join hostesses Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan on this unique and fun award-winning podcast that focuses on changing the world for animals.

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