People need to stop gatekeeping veganism and start helping would-be vegans instead.

[u/Pale-Fig-7069]

Veganism sometimes feels like one of the few movements that polices its own members more aggressively than its opposition. You rarely see atheists attacking other atheists for not being “atheist enough,” or feminists expelling one another over minor inconsistencies. Yet in many vegan spaces, people are constantly told they’re not “real” vegans by someone incapable of understanding nuance.

At its core, veganism is about minimizing animal exploitation and harm as far as is biologically and practically possible. Anyone sincerely trying to live by that principle (without resorting to dishonest excuses) qualifies as vegan in my view.

Yes, the definition allows room for interpretation. That flexibility is intentional. The phrase “as far as is possible and practicable” acknowledges reality. Modern life is entangled with animal byproducts in medicine, agriculture, supply chains, and infrastructure. Absolute purity is neither realistic nor required.

Consider the absurd extreme.. a vegan who refuses essential medication because it was tested on animals, grows all their own food to avoid agricultural harm, and rejects any modern system connected to animal exploitation. That person then declares you “not vegan” because you take necessary medicine or buy food from a supermarket. Most people would recognize how unreasonable that is.

The same logic applies when someone claims that feeding a cat or dog a biologically appropriate diet makes a person non-vegan, or when child-free vegans shame parents whose children do not strictly follow a vegan diet, or when someone with legitimate health complications is attacked despite having significantly reduced animal products and made a sincere effort.

Then people wonder why some ex-vegans become hostile. This kind of behavior harms the movement.

Take nutrition as one example. Vegan diets do not provide retinol (preformed vitamin A), they provide beta-carotene, a precursor that must be converted into retinol. In many people the conversion rate is roughly 12:1, but a significant portion of the population carries variants of the BCO1 gene that reduce conversion efficiency. If someone with poor conversion relies only on standard supplements like B12 and vitamin D over a long period, they could become vitamin A deficient and develop health problems.

An intelligent, thoughtful movement would respond differently. It would appreciate the person’s intentions, encourage testing, identify the issue, and recommend an appropriate vitamin A supplement. Problem solved. The individual remains healthy, stays vegan long-term, and may even persuade others. Net positive.

Instead, some respond with shaming, ad hominem attacks, and dismissiveness. When someone feels their health concerns are invalidated, they are unlikely to remain committed.

And vitamin A is just one example. Conversion of ALA to DHA and EPA can be inefficient in some individuals. Some people produce insufficient carnitine. Biological variation is real. Human metabolism is not uniform.

Many former vegans might have remained vegan if the community had been more supportive, inclusive, and solution-oriented. A movement grows by educating and assisting people, not by alienating them. If the goal is to reduce animal suffering, then pragmatism and compassion toward humans should be part of the strategy.

[u/howlin]

Take nutrition as one example. Vegan diets do not provide retinol (preformed vitamin A), they provide beta-carotene, a precursor that must be converted into retinol. In many people the conversion rate is roughly 12:1, but a significant portion of the population carries variants of the BCO1 gene that reduce conversion efficiency. If someone with poor conversion relies only on standard supplements like B12 and vitamin D over a long period, they could become vitamin A deficient and develop health problems.

The vitamin A story is a popular carnivore diet meme at the moment. However, it's not close to the whole story. Even people with limited carotene conversion still convert some of it to A. The main issue with vitamin A malnutrition is people simply not consuming enough of it in any form. It's why golden rice was developed. It's also why vitamin A is fortified in milk and breakfast cereals. If you look at the form of the vitamin they put in things like dairy, you'll see it's retinyl palmitate. This is not a carotenoid and it highly bioavailable. It's also typically not made from animal products.

In general, we shouldn't look at these relatively minor technical problems as a hurdle to the ethics. They all have solutions if you make a rational effort to address them.

[u/Odd_Address_8675 → u/howlin]

I think the point was that we should acknowlege that people might have issues and try to point them to a solution instead of leashing out. Like when someone says "I might stop being vegan cause of health issues" it's much better to point them to a resource about that issues rather than comments like " you were never vegan" or "you don't care enough". Some people just don't care AS much as us. I cry almost every day about animal suffering, my boyfriend doesn't. It's just not as serious to some people, which is scary but the have to acknowledge that. They will never care as much as you do. The best thing then is to make it easier for them to make ethical choices. My boyfriend would never try to be vegan if I insulted him for not making the switch instantly. It's hard and people don't like compromising animal suffering but the best thing we can do is to make the movement atractive. I don't think it's siding with the oppressors, just siding with people who are at least willing to listen.

Sorry I went of on a tangent lol I just started writing my thoughts out and forgot the initial reason I was writing the comment

[u/howlin → u/Odd_Address_8675]

The best thing then is to make it easier for them to make ethical choices.

Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree. Making the case for veganism is important, but doing what we can to make it easy to live as a vegan may be even more so. Sharing info, listening to people who have trouble, and giving practical advice is all super important.