Vegan activist Tash Peterson calls on Australians to stop referring to animals as ‘it’

Controversial animals rights activist Tash Peterson has urged Australians to stop “objectifying” and “devaluing” animals - and wants one word to be scrapped.

Animal rights activist and OnlyFans star Tash Peterson has urged Australians to stop “objectifying” and “devaluing” animals by referring to them as “it”.

Addressing the topic alongside her partner Jack Higgs in a 10-minute Facebook video earlier this week, Ms Peterson claimed there was a “huge difference of how we address human animals and non-human animals”.

“At the end of the day, we’re forgetting we’re all animals and sentient beings,” Ms Peterson, who is a vegan, said in the video.

She described the use of degrading language and euphemisms to describe animals as anthropocentric — regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence.

“I’ve even heard it with people and their dogs and they know their dog’s gender but they’re still saying it,” Ms Peterson said.

Animal rights activist and OnlyFans star Tash Peterson has urged Australians to stop “objectifying” and “devaluing” animals by referring to them as “it”. Picture: Facebook

“It’s just not a word to be using for an individual, it’s objectifying them and it’s devaluing them. They’re no different to us morally.

“You can say he/she, they/them, or just even saying the dog or the bird, at least appreciate they’re a living being.”

Ms Peterson said she was inspired to make the video after hearing fellow vegans and animal activists referring to creatures as “it”.

“It’s ingrained in us. It’s no one’s fault, we’re taught from the moment we start school that if it’s a non-human animal, you say ‘it’,” she said.

“My mum’s a primary school teacher, she’s been teaching children for decades that it’s the correct vocabulary to be calling non-human animals ‘it’.

“I’ve only recently made her aware of how wrong it is, it’s not grammatically correct because science shows they’re sentient individuals, so why are we referring [to] them as if they’re objects or commodities?”

She ended the clip by declaring it time to start viewing non-human animals as equals.

“At the end of the day, we’re all animals and sentient individuals with a desire to live freely from harm,” she said.

“It’s just this ingrained speciesism in our society that’s making us believe we’re superior to animals, even if that’s subconsciously.”

Referring to non human animals as "it" devalues and objectifies them. Using degrading language and euphemisms to...

Posted by Tash Peterson on Sunday, March 6, 2022

In a caption for the video, Ms Peterson wrote: “Non human animals are not an ‘it’, they’re someone, Farmed animals are not ‘livestock’, they’re individuals, Pigs are not ‘bacon’, they’re someone, Cows are not ‘beef’, they’re individuals, Animals are not objects, slaves, commodities, entertainment, or food.”

No stranger to controversy, Ms Peterson has previously made headlines for her stunts, which have included dressing up as a cow and demonstrating in the meat section of busy supermarkets and donning a blood-soaked apron to scream at KFC and Coles patrons.

Described by policymakers and police as “Australia’s biggest pest”, the activist will face court for disorderly conduct later this month over a protest at a Louis Vuitton store last August.

During the incident, Ms Peterson smeared period blood on herself and marched around the luxury shop topless.

Ms Peterson is no stranger to controversy, making headlines for her antics. Picture: Facebook

She ended the clip by declaring it time to start viewing non-human animals as equals. Picture: Instagram

Her latest video also divided Facebook users, with some agreeing and thanking her for “having a discussion about this very important matter”.

“Animals definitely are someone’s, not something’s. They all have a soul and unique spirit. They all feel love, fear and pain. They care for their young and they fight to live. We have been socially conditioned to view some animals in this way (dogs, cats…),” one woman commented.

“Some have been (deliberately) objectified by Animal agriculture industry. This is to encourage a disconnect and keep people paying for what it essentially misery and violence on a plate! But people aren’t stupid and one by one are waking up, making the connection and rejecting this abhorrent industry!”

Others declared she was “making no sense”.

“I will take notice of this when an animal talks to me. Until then, the animals of this planet don’t care what we call them, so why should we?” argued one man.

“Society is continually trying to give animals the same status as humans. That isn’t how it works I’m sorry.”

“Humans physiology is geared for a varied diet of both animal protein and vegetation. If one wants to be vegetarian or vegan that is their choice, but they are wrong to try and shame others into their way of thinking,” commented another.