Subtle ways to recognize vegan atheists
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2020 4:31 pm
Vegans and atheists in rural America are generally not well liked. Rural culture is often centered around religion and agriculture. As a rural vegan atheist, who grew up both christian and cheese-loving, I don't often mention aspects of my identity with family and strangers unless I am explicitly asked. The downside to this approach is that I am often unable to connect with people, who might share such beliefs, but don't talk about them. For example, I previously thought that I was the only atheist in my extended family of about a hundred people. But, after talking with a religious parent, I discovered that some of my aunts and uncles didn't have weddings with a priest present. What are some subtle ways of letting others know aspects of your identity, like veganism and atheism, if they share that identity? Examples I've thought of include identity specific pins on a backpack, identity specific stickers on a laptop, and noting relatives who don't seem to attend/observe religious customs.