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Gary Yourofsky
American animal rights activist / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gary Yourofsky (/jʊəˈrɒfski/; born August 19, 1970)[1] is an American animal rights activist and lecturer. He has had a major influence on contemporary veganism.[2]
Gary Yourofsky | |
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![]() Yourofsky in 2013 | |
Born | (1970-08-19) August 19, 1970 (age 53) |
Occupation(s) | Lecturer, activist |
Known for | Speeches promoting animals rights |
Website | www |
Yourofsky was sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) between 2002 and 2005, and has given many public lectures promoting veganism. In 2010, Yourofsky's popularity quickly accelerated around the world (especially in Israel[3]) following the publication of a YouTube video[4] of him giving a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology, as the video gained millions of views and has been translated into tens of different languages. Yourofsky has been admired[5] by many, and criticized by others for his alleged extreme views. He was arrested 13 times between 1997 and 2001, and spent 77 days in a Canadian maximum security prison in 1999 after raiding a fur farm in Canada and releasing 1,542 minks in 1997.[6][7] He has been permanently banned from entering Canada and the United Kingdom.[8]
On March 30, 2017, Yourofsky announced the end of his activist life on his Facebook page, stating: "My tank is completely empty, so I will no longer be online or active in any capacity besides helping students with animal rights projects and answering emails from people who are beginning their vegan journeys."[9]