We Have a Problem
The movement fighting for the liberation of animals is oppressing, abusing, and exploiting its activists.
Earlier this month, I released an article on my Substack titled, “Sexual Exploiters in Animal Liberation Spaces.” In the entry, I detailed the common occurrence of male activists, particularly those in positions of power, sexually exploiting and abusing fellow activists, especially young and vulnerable women. I also shared my personal experience with sexual misconduct within the animal rights community to disclose my connection to the subject; I did not expect to receive the response I did.
You Are Not Alone
Within a few hours of posting the article, I had countless women in my comment section and direct message requests sharing their experience as sexual misconduct survivors within our movement. Stories of women across the world disclosing the abuse they faced at the hands of well-revered leaders. Nearly every woman I spoke to was treated the same by the organizations that were supposed to protect her.
Many of the women who have shared their experiences publicly have disclosed that they are now barred from speaking on panels, banned from live demonstrations, and prohibited from joining organizations who platform known abusers. Survivors are labeled as “trouble-makers” and “attention-seekers;” in reality, they are important whistle-blowers protecting other women and vulnerable individuals. When survivors continue to speak out, even without naming their abuser, they are attacked by the abuser’s followers.
In an organization’s (with many allegations) own words, “We also have a motivated body of detractors. Some are well-intentioned people who have genuine disagreements about tactics; others are former members who didn’t find DxE to be the right place for activism and left feeling discouraged and hurt, in some cases partly due to our own mistakes in resolving conflict. Still others, more troublingly, may be state or corporate infiltrators who seek to undermine the animal rights movement. While the latter suggestion may sound outlandish, the fact that the history of social causes is rife with examples of such behavior, including in the animal rights movement, prevents us from dismissing the possibility.”
To label women who come forward as “infiltrators” or individuals who simply “didn’t fit in” is to undermine their experience, attack their character, and attempt to discredit them entirely. All of those who have come forward aside from one individual (to public and personal knowledge) are still vegan and animal rights activists to this very day. Although many have felt unsafe or unable to return to in-person animal rights activism, these survivors remain active within their personal lives to the best of their ability.
For those who don’t return or have even left the community, can we truly blame them for no longer wanting to participate with organizations who attack and discredit them, while praising those who have harmed them? How jarring it must be to scroll social media and see your fellow friends and community members praise someone who has brought immense trauma and suffering.
Listed below is publicly available information on alleged exploiters, abusers, and groomers within the animal rights movement. This list will be actively updated upon new findings. Again, for legal purposes, all accusations are alleged.
| Name | Organization(s) | Accusation(s) | Source(s) | Accountability/Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John B. | DxE (Direct Action Everywhere) | Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault |
Disrupting DxE Video, 2023
Rebel Vegana Blog Post, 2018 |
Filed defamation case after support from Wayne Hsuing. No other public information currently available. |
| Alex Bez/Anthony Alexander Bezjak | AVO (Amazing Vegan Outreach) DxE (Direct Action Everywhere) The Save Movement WTF (We The Free) |
Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, Protecting Abuser(s) |
Animal Justice Project Instagram Post, 2022
The Cranky Vegan Video and Reddit Thread, 2020 The Cranky Vegan Video, 2021 The Cranky Vegan Video, 2022 StopWTF.org |
Admitted to physical contact, alleges it was consensual. Banned from TSM and filed a defamation lawsuit against them. Removed from DxE. Helped launch WTF shortly after being removed from other organizations. Now lives in Bali and seems to not have any public ties to the animal rights movement or ogranizations. |
| Zachary Champoux | WTF (We The Free) | Sexual Misconduct, Protecting Abuser(s) |
Serenity’s Statement on Reddit, 2025
Serenity’s Statement on my Substack, 2026 |
Admitted to misconduct, but no action has been taken. He remains an Operations Director. |
| Rocky Chau | DxE (Direct Action Everywhere) | Sexual Misconduct | Prism Article, 2023 | N/A |
| Nick Cooney | MFA (Mercy For Animals) The Humane League |
Emotional Abuse, Gender-based Bullying, Sexism | Orange County Register Article, 2018 | Resigned in 2018/2019 |
| Eva Hamer | Pro-Animal Future | Protecting Abuser(s) | Lauren Uram’s Statement on Instagram, 2025 | N/A |
| Wayne Hsuing | DxE (Direct Action Everywhere) The Simple Heart Initiative |
Sexual Misconduct, Grooming, Protecting Abuser(s) |
Disrupting DxE Video, 2023
Carol J. Adams’ Article, 2018 Dismantle DxE Article, 2020 Facebook Group: Beyond DxE I Was Groomed By DxE Cult Leader Wayne Hsiung Part 2 Video, 2020 Prism Article, 2023 Rachel’s Personal Statement |
"Left" DxE in 2019, "Stepped Down" from DxE in 2023, but started The Simple Heart Initiative in 2022. Remains "the face" of Open Rescue for animals. |
| Alex Hershaft | Animal Rights National Conference FARM Animal Rights Movement |
Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harrassment, Sexual Assault, Protecting Abuser(s) |
Carol J. Adams Article, 2021
Marc Gunther Article, 2018 |
Relinguished Day-to-Day operation of the Farm Animal Rights Movement in 2020, but remains President. |
| Aidan Kankyoku | Pro-Animal Future Pax-Fauna A Simple Heart |
Sexual Misconduct, Protecting Abuser(s) | Lauren Uram’s Statement on Instagram, 2025 | N/A |
| Tyler Lang | CAFT (Coaliton to Abolish the Fur Trade) | Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harrassment, Sexual Assault, Protecting Abuser(s) | Tylerlangandkevinoliffabusewomen.com | N/A |
| Kevin Oliff | CAFT (Coaliton to Abolish the Fur Trade) | Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harrassment, Sexual Assault, Protecting Abuser(s) |
DxE’s Response, 2021
Tylerlangandkevinolliffabusewomen.com |
N/A |
| Wayne Pacelle | The Humane Society | Sexual Misconduct, Protecting Abuser(s) | NPR Article, 2018 | Resigned in 2018. |
| Paul Shapiro | The Humane Society | Sexual Misconduct, Protecting Abuser(s) | Politico Article, 2018 | Resigned in 2018. |
| Peter Singer | N/A | Sexual Misconduct, Protecting Abuser(s) | Dawn Watch Article, 2023 | N/A |
| Gary Yourofsky | N/A | Abusive Comment(s), Protecting Abuser(s) | Vegan Feminist Network Article, 2015 | N/A |
Links to Sources:
John B.
Anthony Alexander Bezjak/Alex Bez
Zachary Champoux
Rocky Chau
Nick Cooney
Eva Hamer
Wayne Hsuing
Alex Hershaft
Aidan Kankyoku
Tyler Lang
Kevin Olliff
Wayne Pacelle
Paul Shapiro
Peter Singer
Gary Yourofsky
The individuals listed above are just the most well-documented cases within a community that hides misconduct from coming to light. However, this issue doesn’t start nor end with these individuals, but rather the culture and community that allows, protects, and reinforces misconduct; especially sexual.
The Problem
Unfortunately, the animal rights movement and community is not immune to patriarchal powers, belief systems, and forces. Although the majority of animal rights activists and vegans identify as women and non-binary, it is cisgender men who are the “face” of this movement. In the most recent article publicly available on the subject, women overwhelmingly outnumber men in the most successful Western animal rights and vegan campaigning organizations. Yet, the most well-known, independent, vegan and animal rights activists and social media figures are cisgender men.
The embedded patriarchal belief system we must work to actively unlearn is ingrained into nearly every action we commit. When a cisgender man joins a movement of (mostly) women, he is often pushed to a position of leadership and respect. We may acknowledge that more individuals listen to men over women, so using a man to spread our message and advocacy could benefit our cause. Or, subconsciously, we may believe that men should be in positions of power over the women who built this movement.
Placing anyone on a pedestal within a social justice movement is never wise. Martin Luther King Jr. was complicit in rape. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was an incest abuser. Cesar Chavez was a rapist and pedophile. When we make someone the “face” of a movement, we practically grant them immunity. Survivors of abusers in positions of power hesitate to come forward due to the belief that doing so would harm the movement. Countless survivors have admitted to being told this very idea; that their truth would tarnish the good work organizations have done.
We must accept that most of the men who are placed into positions of power within the animal rights movement, or any social justice movement, are self-serving narcissists looking for attention, control, and praise. Social justice movements attract vulnerable and compassionate people, often young women who have already experienced hardship in their life. An animal rights protest is often the perfect “hunting ground” for an abuser looking for their next target.
How Do We Solve This Problem?
Openly discussing misconduct within any movement, organization, or community is always the first step. This isn’t to say that all survivors must share their story, but that we should uplift those who do and continue the conversation surrounding the overall issue of misconduct within what many presume to be “safe spaces.”
Organizations must provide a formal harassment and violence policy. This should be the bare minimum that all groups adhere to. All organizations must have a zero tolerance policy for misconduct and hold exploiters accountable, including members in positions of leadership. All organizations should have professional and paid human resources teams with years of experience and no biased towards or against anyone within or outside of the organization.
Furthermore, classes on sexual harassment, gender-based violence, racism, LGBTQIA+ discrimination, and more, should be mandatory for all board members, organizers, campaigners, and others in positions of power. These classes should be conducted by experienced professionals and also offered at animal rights conferences and summits. Not only would this aid in preventing and calling out misconduct among ourselves, but also make us better community members and allies to marginalized activists who experience racist, sexist, transphobic, homophobic and bigoted remarks and comments while participating in in-person or online activism.
Those with immense power need to stand up for those with less — isn’t that what veganism is all about anyway? As stated in my Substack article, “We need to stand up against sexual misconduct within our movement, but that task should not fall to the victims or marginalized individuals at risk of becoming victims themselves. This task should be left to the male leaders within our movement. They must use the platform that (mostly) women have given them for good — for the betterment of humans and non-humans.” Survivors can not be expected to share their experience in an environment that is built to protect their abuser. The more we center white, cisgender, heterosexual, middle class+ men, the less space we allocate for marginalized members of our community; forcing them out and preventing new individuals from joining. If we claim veganism and animal rights spaces are not racist, why are we almost exclusively platforming white men?
Accountability and action must take place; no more “sweeping it under the rug.” The majority of the individuals on the list above are still active within the animal rights community and have received less than a slap on the wrist for the accusations against them. Offenders of serious allegations (like sexual harassment, assault, rape, etc.) and repeat offenders of sexual misconduct should be banned from attending conferences, summits, actions, demonstrations, and other animal rights activities. This may seem harsh, but this is the only way we can prevent these offenders from harming others and allow survivors to feel supported and protected. Our community should be a place of respect, and that means standing with survivors. Keeping a list of publicly available accusations that can be shared with organizers is crucial to promoting an environment focused on liberation.
Personal Statement
“Non-vegan humans feel entitled to abuse, rape, exploit, commodify, kill, and eat the bodies of non-human animals. Anyone, ‘vegan’ or not, who sexually harasses, assaults, or abuses another individual must feel that same sense of entitlement. That behavior or belief itself is not vegan and doesn’t belong in any movement, especially one built on liberation. Those who feel entitled to sexually harass other individuals within our movement create an environment that prevents individuals at risk from participating and feeling comfortable to engage. The ‘leaders’ of the animal rights movement are men, yet the majority of vegans and animal rights activists/animal liberationists identify as women.”
XOXO Vegan Girl stands with and believes all survivors. This blog, and subsequently this article, does not and will not make any revenue. In fact, this blog costs several hundreds of dollars and thousands of unpaid hours to run each year. This website is run mostly anonymously and does not aim to self-serve in anyway. XOXO Vegan Girl exists to disclose the shared oppression women and non-human animals experience and how veganism and feminism must co-exist. Bigotry has no place in liberation movements, and that includes fostering environments that allow abusers to be praised and hailed as heroes while survivors are attacked and chased out. Liberation for all.
#ARMeToo #SAAM2026