Get Your Hot Tamales Here!

A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but after reviewing photos of the 700 beautiful men and women who entered our “Sexiest Vegetarian” contest, only one word comes to mind—HOT! The entries are in, and PETA’s panel has narrowed down the field. It’s time for you to pick the cream of this crop of cruelty-free hotties and crown one guy and one gal the “Sexiest Vegetarian Alive.” We’ll tally the votes and publish the winners’ photos on the hugely popular Web site GoVeg.com and in PETA’s Animal Times magazine. We’ll also give each winner a trip for two to Maui, with round-trip airfare and beautiful accommodations for seven nights! Many thanks to Holiday Systems International for its generous donation of these trips. Click here to read more about the other great prizes the winner will receive.

Sorry, the voting round has ended. Please click here to see the winners!

Tofutti Cuties
	Amy Jannette Amy, 19, lives in Minneapolis. Amy credits her vegan diet for her sexy form—after cutting meat, eggs, and dairy products, she shed 12 pounds of unwanted fat and gained more energy. Amy is one of the most tireless advocates that animals have; chances are that if she isn’t handing out leaflets to protest KFC’s abuse of chickens,she’s participating in a colorful PETA demonstration to promote vegetarianism or raise awareness about the cruelty of animal testing. In her younger years, she was named a “Star Street Teamer” by PETA’s Youth Division, peta2. Amy works for a family center that helps autistic children. Amy’s biggest turn-off? “Hunters! What’s sexy about blaze orange and shooting Bambi?”
	Lindsay O’Donnell Lindsay, 23, lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Lindsay is an avid athlete who enjoys snowboarding, biking, yoga, weightlifting, baseball, and volleyball. She’s even gearing up for a triathlon later this year! Perhaps she’s taken a cue from Carl Lewis, one of the world’s greatest athletes, who says that his performance dramatically improved after he went vegetarian. Says Lindsay about her preference for men who forgo flesh: “It’s far sexier to see a guy cuddling or playing with an animal than to see him biting into one.”
	Stephanie Bain Stephanie, 21, lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Stephanie loves to whip up tasty treats to share with her friends, like vegan pineapple upside-down cake. “I love how a vegan diet has opened my eyes to so many different types of foods that I never would have discovered had I just kept my boring old diet. People always ask me, ‘Oh you’re vegan. What do you eat?’ I love the looks on their faces when they realize I have a much more varied and exciting diet than they do.” To check out some of the mouth-watering recipes Stephanie enjoys, visit VegCooking.com. Stephanie, an avid belly dancer, says her vegan diet and rigorous workout schedule keep her looking and feeling great. What’s Stephanie’s biggest turn-on? “Vegan boys! Compassion is so sexy. Girls say ‘Yes!’ to guys who say ‘No!’ to eating animals.”
	Chrissy Flatt Chrissy, 38, lives in Austin, Texas. Chrissy goes beyond being a vegetarian by extending compassion to all aspects of her life. She refuses to wear fur or leather, and she buys chic cruelty-free cosmetics for her friends as gifts. An enthusiastic activist, Chrissy has protested against the fur and animal-testing industries, and she frequently protests KFC’s crippling and scalding of live chickens. A successful local musician, Chrissy also gives out animal rights literature at all her shows.
	Debbie Johnson Debbie, 25, lives in Phoenix. Debbie’s meat-eating friends used to poke fun at her for going vegetarian, but they’ve changed their tune after seeing “how much slimmer, sexier, healthier, and more energetic” she’s become since giving up her flesh-eating ways. She always brings tasty vegan food to work to share with her colleagues—the Tofurky she brought in right before Thanksgiving last year was a huge hit! Debbie has participated in an “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” demonstration, and she volunteered with the successful campaign in Arizona to ban cruel veal crates and gestation crates. Debbie is engaged to a “handsome, very buff vegan man.” She says, “Frankly, I don’t find meat-eating dudes very sexy, either emotionally or physically. Maybe it’s because all the cholesterol and saturated fat in meat is slowing blood flow to both their hearts and their other vital parts.” Learn more about the link between meat-eating and male impotence.
	Jessica Comolli Jessica, 21, lives in Clemson, South Carolina. A student of pre-veterinary medicine at Clemson University, Jessica shows that brains, beauty, and compassion go hand in hand. Jessica’s parents are so proud of her educational goals that they’ve promised to go vegetarian for a year immediately after she graduates. But Jessica doesn’t spend all her time in the library; she does some modeling for fun, and she frequently volunteers for PETA. Jessica names Pamela Anderson as one of her role models for being a dedicated animal activist. Speaking of Pam, check out her new explicit PETA video.
	Adrienne Kramer Adrienne, 28, lives in Las Vegas. Adrienne and her 4-year-old daughter both refuse to eat animals and frequently speak out for animals at demonstrations. A professional dancer and actor, Adrienne is looking to go into modeling. Adrienne is single, but guys, if you still like to chew on animal flesh, your chances with her aren’t so hot. Adrienne is looking for someone who is “compassionate, witty, and handsome,” and she tells PETA that “there’s nothing sexier than a vegan! If a guy deeply cares about the comfort of an animal, imagine how comfortable he would want to make his girlfriend!”
	Ann-Marie Graham Ann-Marie, 35, lives in Orangevale, California. Ann-Marie has been very successful at convincing her family members to go vegetarian, and animals aren’t the only ones benefiting. Her husband and parents all had high cholesterol levels, but since they went vegetarian, their levels have dramatically improved and they feel good about protecting themselves from heart disease without having to take expensive medications. Ann-Marie urges everyone bringing a dog, cat, or other companion animal into his or her home to adopt one from an animal shelter—rather than purchase one from a pet store or a breeder—and to be sure to have their furry friends spayed and neutered. “People should visit their local shelters, which are full of animals who are desperately awaiting good homes.” Learn more about the companion-animal overpopulation crisis at HelpingAnimals.com.
	Lauren Meeks Lauren, 19, lives in Dallas, Texas. This Texas gal says her body became leaner and she’s become more energetic since she gave meat the boot; she doesn’t need a drop of coffee to get out of bed and into the gym in the morning. Lauren originally went vegan after watching “Meet Your Meat,” which is narrated by actor Alec Baldwin. She tells PETA that she finds the idea of wearing animal fur to be “repulsive” and that instead of being worn, “fur coats should be given a proper burial.”
	Ali Cayer Ali, 23, lives in San Francisco. Ali went vegetarian when she was 4 after she cut into a piece of chicken flesh, saw blood, and realized that she was eating an animal. Now Ali is a vegan and urges all her friends to ditch meat. She’s even convinced her fiancé to kick the meat habit. Among her turn-ons, Ali lists vegan chocolate, skinny-dipping, and vegetarian guys—who tend to have “rockin’ bodies.”
Sultry Soy Boys
	Joe Simon Joe, 21, lives in Memphis, Tennessee. A New Orleans native, Joe now attends the University of Memphis. An active weight-lifter and long-distance runner and swimmer, Joe—who plans to become a Marine Corps Officer after graduating—often introduces his fraternity brothers to delicious vegan meals and has convinced one to go vegetarian. Joe is active for animals on campus, promoting a vegetarian diet through Facebook (his group is “GO VEG”), and he and his friends frequently come to the aid of chained dogs. Joe says that he finds vegetarian women to be sexier, and not just because they tend to be more compassionate or slimmer—he thinks they smell better too. Guess what, Joe? A recent scientific report published by the National Institutes of Health confirmed that vegetarians do actually smell better than meat-eaters.
	Drew Winter Drew, 21, lives in East Lansing, Michigan. A journalism and English student at Michigan State University (MSU), Drew is multitalented—he can solve a Rubik’s cube, wiggle his ears, and bench press 240 pounds, and he’s a skilled pool player. He speaks out for animals frequently on campus, providing MSU’s cafeteria staff with vegetarian recipes and educating students about buying cruelty-free products. Of his companion dog, Cujo—whom he adopted from a local humane society 13 years ago—Drew says, “Although he’s a bit self-centered at times, we all love him.”
	Jon Oleson Jon, 23, lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. Jon grew up hunting and fishing in Utah. On one hunting trip, Jon shot a deer, who wasn’t immediately killed by the painful blow. As Jon desperately tried to reload the gun to put the deer out of his misery, the deer sprung up and ran away. Knowing the deer would die a slow, agonizing death in the woods, Jon began to think that hunting isn’t justifiable. When he returned from his trip, a friend handed him a copy of a pamphlet about veganism. Since then, Jon has been vegan and a dedicated animal rights activist. Since giving up hunting, Jon has found cruelty-free ways to enjoy nature. He recently climbed Mt. Washington, and he reports that he and his vegan friend were the only ones in the group of five to reach the summit—the other three folks were meat-eaters. Jon is currently training to enlist in the Navy Special Forces. He hopes to launch a political career some day, and he vows to “hold factory-farm owners accountable for abusing and torturing animals.”
	Drew Barnard Drew, 37, lives in Toronto. Eighteen years ago, when he was on summer break from college, Drew had a job as a landscaper that involved cutting the grass outside a slaughterhouse. “While working outside the building, I was amazed at all the 18-wheelers turning into the slaughterhouse, one after another, anxious snouts sticking out between the wooden slats,” says Drew, who went vegetarian after a worker at the slaughterhouse told him how the animals were killed. His vegetarian diet comes in handy—Drew is an avid runner and has already run four marathons and several half-marathons.
	Isaac Hart Isaac, 27, lives in Portland, Oregon. Isaac is training to be a firefighter for the Portland Fire Department, which takes enormous strength and stamina. Since going vegan, Isaac reports, “I have gained muscle and lost fat. My diastolic blood pressure has dropped from 115 to 65 (which is very good). My energy level is as high as it was when I was a kid. I can snowboard or do other physical activities all day and almost never get sore or overly tired like I used to. I even recover from injuries faster and get sick less too.” Isaac lists Rep. Dennis Kucinich as his top vegan role model.
	Jonathan Reske Jonathan, 30, lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Working upward of 90 hours per week as a landscaper and a bartender, Jonathan needs plenty of fuel to keep him going—veggie fuel, that is. Jonathan thinks vegetarian women are sexy because they don’t compromise their values. “Vegetarianism adds several points to my sexometer,” he reports. While Jonathan frequently discusses vegetarianism with his friends, he confidently asserts that he will begin more organized animal rights activism “as soon as I return from Maui.”
	Tommy Dishman Tommy, 28, lives in Cincinnati. A self-described “white-collar skateboard punk,” Tommy spends his days working at a bank and his nights snowboarding, skateboarding, and running. Tommy went vegetarian after hearing a professor at Eastern Kentucky University discuss the routine abuse of chickens in factory farms during an ethics class. “My fondness for animals allowed me to see the hypocrisy of eating them,” Tommy says. He tells PETA that since forgoing meat, he’s more fit—which is no surprise, since a vegetarian diet provides all the protein, complex carbs, and other nutrients you need, without the cholesterol and saturated animal fats that clog your heart—and that he feels better “physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically.”
	Brad Loveall Brad, 32, lives in Indianapolis. Born and raised in Indiana, Brad was inspired to go vegetarian by Peter Singer’s 1975 book, Animal Liberation, which describes how animals in factory farms are mutilated without any painkillers, shoved into filthy crates, and slaughtered while they are still conscious. Animal Liberation also led Brad to forgo fur, leather, and wool. This hunky software engineer names rock icon and longtime vegetarian Morrissey as his hero.
	Coulter Leslie Coulter, 35, lives in Seattle. Coulter never stops fighting for animals. He has handed out vegetarian leaflets and shown “Meet Your Meat” outside hundreds of concerts, and he frequently protests outside KFC and fur stores. He also enjoys playing music (watch out for his upcoming tour), climbing mountains, snowboarding, and traveling. Coulter satisfies his sweet tooth with donuts from Mighty-O’s, an all-vegan bakery in Seattle, and by whipping up some “awesome vegan chocolate-chip Rice Krispies treats.” Coulter says, “I love knowing that I’m saving more than 100 animals a year simply by not eating them, and I love that every time I speak to someone and they go vegetarian, I’ve just saved a hundred more.”
	Adrian Paredes Adrian, 26, lives in El Paso, Texas. Adrian could be called a Renaissance man, because when he’s not studying philosophy at the University of Texas, he can be found training in the Army Reserve, working out at the gym, or educating people in his community about how Ringling Bros. and other circuses beat and chain animals. Growing up near the U.S.-Mexico border, Adrian has never had a problem enjoying a wide array of homemade, healthy vegetarian meals. He likes to fill up gorditas and fajitas with beans, avocados, and potatoes, and he enjoys lentil soup for a hearty, protein-packed dinner. As an activist, Adrian believes that the fight for civil rights, women’s rights, and animal rights are all connected. “It was only natural for me to go vegan once I realized that the mental framework that creates racism is the same one that leads humans to exploit animals.”