6 Ways to Queer Your Vegan Valentine's Day

These days, I’m in the mood to #resist—and since part of that resistance means being even louder and prouder about my gayness than ever before, I’m ready to queer anything that crosses my path, including Valentine’s Day. Are you with me? Then here’s what I suggest:
 

A post shared by Joan Jett (@joanjett) on Feb 22, 2017 at 12:56pm PST

1. Gay vegan music
Set the mood with music. As a child of the '80s, I strongly believe that those tunes should take the form of queer vegan rocker Joan Jett—your perfect (and perfectly hot) V-Day serenader. While it’s true that “I Love Rock and Roll,” what I might love more is Jett’s commitment to the cause, which leaves me very much in the mood (for philanthropy, that is).
 

A post shared by Lagusta's Luscious (@lagustasluscious) on Dec 5, 2016 at 8:55am PST

2. Gay vegan chocolate
Chocolate is obviously mandatory on Valentine’s Day, so I recommend queering it up by biting into a Furious Vulva made by artisanal vegan chocolate-maker Lagusta’s Luscious. And there’s really nothing more I need to say about that.
 

A post shared by Vtopia Cheese Shop and Deli (@vtopiashop) on Jan 22, 2018 at 1:26pm PST

3. Gay vegan dining
No, but really, there’s nothing I love more on Valentine’s Day than eating out. That’s why I recommend that you find your favorite local queer-owned vegan eatery. Some possibilities for rainbow veggie destinations include Two Mammas Vegan Kitchen in Oakland, CA; Vtopia Restaurant and Cheese Shop in Portland, OR; and Viva Vegeria in San Antonio, TX. Support your local plant-based queer.
 

A post shared by VeganMos (@veganmos) on Jun 2, 2017 at 11:55am PDT

4. Gay vegan ice cream
If you’re like me, you’re a gay man trapped in a lesbian’s body, so after you’re done belting the entire soundtrack to anything-Sondheim, you might want to treat yourself to some Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream by VegNews Bloggy Award Winner Vegan Mos. Headed by dapper husbands Michael Suchman and Ethan Ciment (whose book NYC Vegan is about to drop—along with my homesick tears), you’ll fall in love with this duo’s talent to make food delicious, luscious, and sexy.
 

A post shared by Jasmin Singer (@jasminsingerauthor) on Jun 24, 2017 at 1:15pm PDT

5. Gay vegan ethics
Speaking of “the Mos,” they are main players in a video I produced called “Coming Out for Animals,” which captures the stories of how LGBTQ activists have made the connection to animal-rights. It’s a different-spoke, same-wheel kinda thing—you catch my drift. Animal-rights and LGBTQ rights are actually intimately enmeshed, which is a reminder to each of us to celebrate our love for V-Day by showing solidarity for other oppressed groups.
 

A post shared by Maria Kalorkoti (@kinky_but_cute) on Sep 30, 2016 at 6:31am PDT

6. Gay vegan sex
Right. And no Valentine’s Day is successfully queered without a hemp rainbow flogger. Rest assured that nobody was harmed in the making of that sexiness (unless they wanted to be).
 
Jasmin Singer is the Senior Editor (and love columnist) for VegNews, the author of the memoir Always Too Much and Never Enough, and the co-host of the Our Hen House podcast.