Inspirational Animal Rights Activists: Connie aka Vegan “Batgirl.”

Tell us a little about yourself.

Connie, aka Vegan BatGirl…some would call an uber-activist…an activist who does major stunts every week, multiple times a week.  Her most notable stunt, called the Vegan Batman Light…is like the Bat Signal that has been shone across the USA on giant blank walls. It’s a GIANT light that can project Vegan Messages up to 75 feet in diameter or 7 Stories to be seen a 1/2 mile away. Her very 1st light was displayed on the Los Angeles Farmer John Slaughterhouse, over the gates, in the courtyard reading in GIANT TEXT created from shadows and light “Animals fight for their last breath, just as we would in their place”.  She has amazing pictures of her light along-side of major freeways in LA, on the Staple Center, on Las Vegas Hotels, in Arizona near the Talking Stick Arena and much more.  Right now she lives in Beef Country, Tulsa, Oklahoma…unlike progressive mind-sets in California, she now deals with very aggressive Police and other individuals who make her activism extremely exciting to say the least.

She has done over 170 stunts and had over 68 police interactions, threatened arrest many times, had helicopters circle and shine their light at her, police drones monitor, as well as some public people try to run off with her equipment and even threaten to run over her with their vehicle. On the polar opposite side, she draws in many great conversations with people that see the message and realize that they never thought about animal suffering and with her encouragement want to change.

After years of veganizing people with her activism and seeing the Vegan Population increasing, she felt like animal suffering was something she’d see an end to in her lifetime, but then she discovered a DARK UNNOTICED TRUTH.  The Agriculture Industry has removed Supply and Demand from their Industry and have what is called a Farm Bill that basically incentivizes the animal farmers to produce a surplus.  Year after year they get more and more bailouts while dumping dairy, cheese and meat to the USDA to foot the bill using our taxes.  Because of this, she just launched a Vegan Lobbying Group to fast-track change and to focus on reforming the next Farm Bill by 2022/23.

Aside for Animals and Activism, she has led a career in Advertising & Software Business Development for the last 15 years.

You can find her Socials here:

Facebook – www.facebook.com/groups/veganbatgirl

Instagram – www.instagram.com/vegan_batgirl

Youtube – www.youtube.com/c/veganbatgirl

Website – www.veganbatgirl.com

Vegan Justice League Lobbying Group Formed – www.gofundme.com/vegan-justice-league-lobbying-group

And the latest Video Expose by a Texas magazine that saw her doing her activism here: https://www.facebook.com/theDentonite/videos/2020202076886606/

As well as the latest articles written:  http://www.thedentonite.com/news/vegan-bat-girl-in-denton

https://vegnews.com/2018/9/animal-activist-launches-vegan-justice-league-lobby-group

And the Phoenix Veg Fest Speech Clip here:  https://www.facebook.com/tiffany.russell.2020/videos/20207298879620205    

What lead you to veganism?

 I’ve been vegan 8.5 years and vegetarian for 3 years prior to that.  I had a merge of events drive me to veganism, but after going vegetarian and the last thing I ate was cheese, I needed a really pivotal push.  The push was seeing my boss go from having a heart attack to healing himself in only 6 weeks.  It blew my mind that he was about to have major surgery and perhaps even could lose his life and all it took was 6 weeks of veganism to heal.

Tell us about our journey to activism?   

I started out joining other people’s activism in NYC and Los Angeles in 2020 and 2020.  I would join fur protests, marches and animal saves.  At the time, I didn’t feel like the marches aligned with my personality.  I felt like my sign was too small to be read from far and then the only thing that could play out was that people would hear us chanting and yelling. Now, while this is still an important part of activism, it didn’t get the eyeballs that something else could.  This is where the Vegan Batman Light was born.  You don’t need hundreds of activists to do it, just 1 activist and the message on the wall, along the freeway, a stadium or a popular area can be seen by 2020’s of people in seconds.  It’s a passive message that provides facts to get people to think in a cool, innovative way.

I am an activist because I feel like in the same way my life was changed by becoming vegan, that I want to unwire others from their health ailments and complicit participation in the suffering of animals and destruction of this planet. Any one person that I change will then lead a life that will ultimately be spiritually aligned with goodness…both outwardly for all of us and themselves.

What type of activism are you involved in?

Fur protests, marches and animal saves.  I’ve done the Batman Light alongside the Cube of Truth.

What were your thoughts and feelings before your first activism event?

Before the 1st Vegan Batman Light, I was nervous that the WHOLE thing would just fail… I just spent tons of money and knew very little about how the equipment worked…    

How did you feel once the event was over? 

Seeing how big the light is and how impactful it was, made me know that this was a silver bullet to all the limiting issues I felt other activism events I did before:  Needing a lot of time, money, people to make impact, now was a thing of the past.  I could literally do the Vegan Batman Light every night if I wanted.             

How do you feel you are most effective as an activist?  

Educating people on the Farm Bill, government corruption tied to agriculture and how to solve for Farmers prevening our vegan consumer choices from saving animals…since they use our taxes anyways to over-supply.  I think that this is the most critical thing we should all be paying attention to and without it, our activism will perhaps veganize many people, but we will not see a reduction in animal suffering.  I believe that the way I’m most effective is to solve this and do the things under the hood, operationally to make it happen.

What’s been your most memorable moment as an activist?

I deal with police all the time.  They come at me very aggressively trying to make me think what I’m doing is illegal.  I have to really know my rights and how to speak to them.  I’ve only been shut down 2x ever out 68 police interactions.  I put them on Youtube and they are so powerful to watch.  My most memorable moment was when the helicopters came and shine their light on me and then the police cars rushed up on me after.  I had this cute sundress on and was just practicing free speech peacefully — to witness what I go through is ikea action movie!  Toughest moment always has to be the animal saves.  I’m very empathic and feeling those suffering pigs’ energy changed my soul.  Changed it.  I can never go back.  But that has driven me to go even harder for animals.

What is your favorite type of activist event?

My favorite type is the Vegan Batman Light.  It literally is the most fun and impactful for me.

Please recommend your favorite activism video/s, book/s or website/s to share? 

The most daring and people who risk their freedom I’ve ever seen are women.  Leah Doellinger in Australia is a great example.  She helps find CAFOs and organizes secret rescues.   Roxanne Catlandia Kirtright finds livestock holding centers and documents poor treatment and injuries of animals during transportation.  Renee King Sonnen who started Rowdy Girl Sanctuary drives forward to do things that others may find too complicated and gets it done!  Jane Velez-Mitchell is huge at supporting everyone in the movement to give them a platform to talk about their activism.       

When you first went vegan how did you phase out your non-vegan food, clothing and other items?

I first gave up all meat for 1 month…I actually went through a really bad withdrawal and thought I wouldn’t last.  Then on week 3 felt amazing and like I was reborn.  I quickly gave up milk…that was easy.  And then, one day I was buying leather shoes online and a meat eater said I was kinda a hypocrite for not eating the cow, but wearing one and she was right…I stopped wearing leather.  Eggs were next and easy.  Cheese was last and to be honest ended up being easy, but I was just more mentally predicting it would be hard.  I gave myself a date and said that by that date I would no longer buy cow cheese in my house, but that if I ate out I wouldn’t turn it down.  Eventually it just was so simple that I didn’t even think about it anymore.  The best thing for those items that are mentally daunting is to pick a HARD DATE ON THE CALENDAR. 

Do you believe we should show children the process of how animals are turned into products?

I believe children should be given the option of eating a wonderful vegan meal vs a meat meal in school…and then yes I think we need to introduce the concept that it is a choice, but here is the education of how it’s made.  Because right now we aren’t born to choose.  We are given a tray with white milk and chocolate milk or water.  That isn’t a choice.

What does being vegan mean to you?

It means to be disciplined to be the best version of yourself, which is to be a steward of this planet and all of this planet’s beings. 

Is it every vegan’s duty to become an activist?

It’s every vegan’s duty to do more than just be a vegan consumer.  If they cannot be an activist, pay to be a vegan lobbying member at www.veganjusticeleague.com — if they cannot be an activist, donate to someone else’s activism.  I never get donations and I know there are many people who don’t have time to do activism, that could help me exponentially do more.  I’m too proud to beg, but the point is…if life doesn’t afford you time to do activism…help drive someone else’s activism.  The other form of activism that doesn’t require much time and money is printing stickers and Post Its and putting them up at coffee shops and grocery stores.  Be a mini marketer for our cause.

Are you the activist you want to see in the world?

I’m one of the most different type of activists you’ll meet.  I can wear many hats, am creative, can speak in front of large audiences or be under the hood.  I also problem solve really well.  When I invite activists to attend my events, I film them and their story to promote and learn about them as a person.  I think too often we connect with each other on “veganism” that we forget there’s a person there that could become your good friend or someone that needs your help!   

What is the activism scene like in your city? 

It hardly exists.  Tulsa is a sleeper city in many ways…beef country.  They sometimes do cubes, but the Batman Light is the only consistent activism you’ll see here.

What personal recommendations can you make for people to get involved in activism?

Get creative.  Many people are scared of activism because their personality doesn’t fit with the activism that is happening…so if it’s not, be creative and find an activism that DOES fit your personality.  Or as mentioned before, get involved by promoting someone else or help pay for equipment or supplies.

What do you feel is your biggest area of opportunity for growth in your activism?            

There might be a documentary made about the corruption of the Farm Bill and the data and narrative will be led by myself.  So educating and inspiring people to get involved.  My biggest challenge is money and time.  I am not a paid activist and spend so much of my personal money doing this.  It would be great to get some financial help in the same way as many other activists do.  Not because I can’t support myself, but I just know I can do so much more with community support.  People see how dedicated I am without donations…imagine if I could go HARDER.

How do you balance your well being and activism?          

I have to be honest…It’s tough. In many ways you are a martyr for this.  I do try to take other activists to do something fun after a Vegan Batman Light event…but for me…sometimes to lead something with momentum, you have to put your feelings behind.  As for what cleanses my soul the most, it’s working out everyday, meditating and spending time with my dogs.