Guest Pitch: She’s Gone Naked, Been Arrested Dozens Of Times, And Helped Change Attitudes Toward Animals Worldwide
PETA’s ‘Unstoppable’ Founder to Speak in Houston
For Immediate Release:
September 26, 2016
Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382
On October 8, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk—one of Forbes‘ 100 Most Powerful Women, a Washingtonian of the Year, and the subject of HBO’s award-winning documentary I Am an Animal—will deliver a special address in Houston to share how anyone can become an unstoppable force for animals. Newkirk is available for an interview about PETA’s landmark victories for animals since its founding in 1980 as well as her history of activism—from taking over the SeaWorld float in the Rose Parade to lying naked in a coffin in Times Square to protest fur.
In the 36 years since Newkirk cofounded PETA—whose motto is “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way”—the organization has grown to more than 5 million members and supporters worldwide. Newkirk can discuss the changes in attitudes that have taken place over the intervening decades, from the first-ever arrest of an animal experimenter on cruelty charges in U.S. history to Ringling Bros. circus’s recent decision to end all elephant acts.
Newkirk’s presentation will be introduced by Michael Battey, host of Houston’s Vegan World Radio and president of the nonprofit Vegan for Life. Newkirk can also talk about PETA’s promotion of animal rights in Houston, including an Earth Day display in which a woman wore a stunning floor-length gown made entirely out of collard greens, a powerful ad campaign starring actor and author Robbyne Kaamil that aired during The Today Show while the circus was in town, an exposé on cruel rat experiments at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, and urgent hot-weather safety tips for animals and kids issued after a local child was left in a hot car.
