Is veganism a religion? Adherents.com categorizes it as such. And at least one vegan has sued for religious anti-discrimination protection. But as Vegan Outreach explains, this is a line that vegans must walk carefully:

Because “religion” is a sort of trump card in areas of law, under certain circumstances, it could prove beneficial to have the courts and government respect veganism as a religion. However, in the interest of promoting veganism to the public, we believe the animals are best served by avoiding the label of religion.

So a proposed interpretation of an anti-discrimination law in the UK that would include vegans naturally has drawn divided reactions from the online veg community:

voiceofraisin: There’s a new Equality Bill under discussion in the UK. At issue is whether veganism, and belief in climate change, and non-belief in God, are worthy of protection under the law. Lurking in the background is the question of whether such beliefs can be equated with religious belief for legal purposes.

I’ve never had any trouble playing both sides of the fence where the “religion?” issue is concerned. When vegan-hostile people say that veganism is (or is like) a religion or cult, I think they’re generally full of poo. On the other hand, I do find it inconsistent that some people who would respect the religious-based dietary needs of guests in their home (who serves a ham to someone they know keeps kosher?) don’t respect the practices of their vegan friends.

Lizzo: Considering how I’m treated at restaurants by shitty servers just because I’m vegan, yeah, I say it’s worth a shot.

semiautomatic: If veganism is a religion, then it’s the only one I’ll choose. And if there’s a legislation protecting me from discrimination, I’ll take that, too.

Gelert: This is a bad day for veganism, when it’s mentioned in the same breath as Scientology and Harriet Harman.

Heather Mills: She’s obviously thought this very much through, that people have contacted the government and said they feel discriminated against. You know religions are covered and true Buddhists are vegan. So does that mean the Buddhists are going to be fine and they have the rights? Why does someone not have the right not to harm an animal?

Vegan.com: This strikes me as unnecessary bordering on silly, but perhaps there’s merit to this effort. I’d love to see specific examples of discrimination suffered by vegans in the UK.

MrFalafel: This is great and all, but in the 11 years I’ve been vegan in the UK I have never once encountered any discrimination at all. Maybe a few light-hearted jokes over a pint but nothing serious in the slightest.

aubade: Personally, I can easily see parallels between veganism and religion. I think this is especially true of the variants of veganism that consider ANY use of ANY animal at all completely out of the question, even if it doesn’t hurt them — like feeding worms scraps for vericomposting, or picking up sunbleached shells on the beach and putting them on a necklace, both views I’ve seen espoused here.

That seems to be very much based on a fundamental set of beliefs - basically the opposite of the other religious philosophy, that God gave Man dominion over nature to use as he sees fit. I think pretty much everyone agrees that dominion over nature is a religious belief, so I don’t see why the opposite wouldn’t be also.

I do consider my veganism if not a religious, definitely a spiritual belief - it goes part and parcel with my philosophy of nonviolence that I should be as harmless as possible on this earth. I definitely consider it a matter of conscience that I follow devotedly. The only reason I wouldn’t call it a religion is because to me, that implies something organized - whereas I just made my own philosophy from my own experiences and what I’ve read of other religions, so I think that is more “spiritual”. But all of the definitions on dictionary.com don’t really make that distinction, so I guess it could be considered my own personal religion.

UserNumber42: Has anyone ever been discriminated against at work because they were vegan? (Other than when it comes time to order lunch.)

The Daily Vegan Spin: You shouldn’t get fired for being vegan. … Laws that protect people from discrimination based on their beliefs should extend to all beliefs— not just those that were born thousands of years ago. Strange how rights are doled out so slowly over time. Maybe someday there will be some left over for the other animals in this world.

leedsveg: Where the government view on veganism falls down is exactly to do with belief. I can and do think, as a vegan, that ‘being compassionate to animals and not causing them suffering’ is the ethical way to live, but it’s not something that I can actually prove. In other words, it’s a belief.

Similarly, if I am a religious person, I can say that ‘thousands of years ago, God (a supernatural being) gave a series of messages to certain individuals on the ethical way to live, and although there’s nothing provable, I now follow the guidance of those passed down messages.

So how come two groups can both have unprovable, sincere ethical beliefs but followers of a religion get protection against discrimination, and we, as vegans, don’t? All seems a bit discriminatory to me.

harpy: It could be quite useful in contexts like ensuring vegans are properly fed in hospitals and in care homes.

World Vegetarian and Vegan News: If anything, vegans have even more conviction, dedication and focus on their philosophy than many other followers of beliefs. Vegans would suffer the same if not more emotional distress as any member of a religious group if they were punished for their beliefs. Veganism is more altruistic too — there’s no dangling carrot of heaven or vahalla or threat of hell if you don’t adhere.

If you’re Jewish and eat prawn and bacon sandwiches and work on the Sabbath, you’re still Jewish. If you are Catholic and wear condoms, commit adultery, eat bacon on Fridays, kill and maim people and work on a Sabbath, you are still a Catholic. You can’t eat bacon sandwiches any day of the week and still be a vegan! (unless it’s Redwood’s cheatin’ bacon.)

It’s quite right that human rights and anti discrimination law should protect a group who are dedicated to selflessly trying to protect people, animals and the environment.

Mollfie: A big positive to me is that veganism is being recognized as an actual belief and not just something silly or weird that people choose to do. It’s being viewed as something serious, and those who chose to be vegan should be taken seriously.

michelleg: I think this is great. I always find it odd when people try to insult veganism by comparing it to religion. Yes, and? It’s a belief system that helps organize my life, helps me understand my place in the universe, is a code of ethics for my behavior, a source of community…this sounds like the best of religion.