San Jose Man Is Finalist in PETA’s ‘Sexiest Vegan Over 50’ Contest

Fans Can Help PETA Choose Winners by Voting for Their Favorite Meat-Free Man and Woman on PETA Prime’s Website

For Immediate Release:
October 9, 2014

Contact:
Alexis Sadoti 202-483-7382

It’s no secret where sexy celebrities Ellen DeGeneres, Samuel L. Jackson, and James Cromwell get their energy—they all attribute it to going vegan! And it’s their example that inspired PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—to launch its annual Sexiest Vegan Over 50 contest. This year, PETA has narrowed the field down to seven men and seven women—and 80-year-old San Jose resident Syed Rizvi is among the finalists. The contest is sponsored by PETA Prime—a resource for baby boomers who want to live a healthy, humane, and rewarding life.

“While many baby boomers have had to reach for pills to fight high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and impotence, older vegans tend to be slim, healthy, and energetic,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “One look at PETA’s finalists makes it clear that the only thing sexier than being passionate is being compassionate.”

Rizvi went vegan after reading Animal Liberation in the 1980s. He is the founder of Engineers and Scientists for Animal Rights and has served on the boards of many animal rights organizations. His collaborations with the magazine South Asia helped shape the animal rights movement in Pakistan, where Rizvi lived for many years after growing up in Patna, India, and he has written extensively against animal sacrifice for progressive Islamic websites. Still active at 80, Rizvi credits his decades of vegan eating with giving him his good health. “I am a cancer survivor, and I believe my vegan diet has a lot to do with me defeating the cancer,” he says. “I am very healthy and under no medication of any sort … for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart problems, diabetes, [or other ailments] common for people my age.”

Visitors to PETAPrime.org can see photos of all 14 finalists and cast their votes through October 19. Two winners (one male and one female) will be announced on October 22. PETA will select the winners based on several factors, including vote count, and each winner will receive a three-night stay for two at the beautiful Guatemalan eco-resort Laguna Lodge, a PETA photo shoot in Los Angeles, and a selection of goodies from the PETA Catalog. See the full contest details here.

For more information, please visit PETAPrime.org.