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That Vegan Teacher

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Kadie Karen Diekmeyer
Born (1964-09-24) September 24, 1964 (age 60)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Other names
  • Miss Kadie
  • Miss Karen
  • Vegan Teacher Karen
Alma materConcordia University
Occupations
  • Internet personality
  • animal rights activist
Years active2018–present
Spouses
Dave Hobson
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 2021)​
Giorgio Benetti
​
(m. 2021)​
Children3[1]
YouTube information
Channels
Genres
Subscribers255K
Total views99 million
100,000 subscribers2021
Last updated: Sept 18, 2024

Kadie Karen Diekmeyer (born September 24, 1964), popularly known as That Vegan Teacher, is a Canadian animal rights activist, internet personality and former educator, mainly known for promoting veganism. Before she started her online career, Diekmeyer was a nurse and later an ESL teacher but eventually left the latter job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Diekmeyer is known for her TikTok and YouTube accounts that promote veganism. Some of Diekmeyer's content has been controversial, and has prompted accusations of racism and homophobia.

Early life

Diekmeyer was born on September 24, 1964, in Montreal.[2] Diekmeyer worked as a registered nurse at the Lakeshore General Hospital for 25 years,[3][4] and attended Concordia University to become an ESL teacher in French Canadian schools for nine years. She worked both jobs before dropping her nursing career to work full time in the school system and eventually leaving her job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6]

Career

In 1995, Diekmeyer composed the nationalistic English-French folk song "Imaginez un Pays/Imagine a Country" and performed at the Unity Rally at the Place du Canada. She spoke of her anxiety before her public performance, which she had never done before, and got help from her friends and relatives to write the French lyrics.[3] Cheryl Cornacchia of the Montreal Gazette called her "one of the dozens of do-it-yourself artists making a place for themselves in Montreal".[7] In 1998, Diekmeyer self-released 500 copies of her debut studio album, "Some Things Can't Wait," and by 1999, Diekmeyer had written 47 songs, mainly about life and women's empowerment.[7]

Diekmeyer is known for her TikTok and YouTube career of promoting veganism.[8][9] She went viral on TikTok for a song called, "Eating Animals is Wrong, McDonald's", in July 2020.[10] Some of Diekmeyer's content has been characterized as racist and homophobic,[11][12] including the repurposing of the slogan of "I can't breathe" for a song expressing opposition to animal agriculture, as well as arguing that coming out as LGBT is a selfish act as opposed to doing so as vegan.[11][12] Diekmeyer has also drawn criticism for comparing the animal agriculture industry to the Holocaust.[11][10][13] In September 2020, she was criticized for saying she would no longer sign her organ donor card, "not [wanting] to donate [her] organs to meat eaters after [she] dies".[14][15]

"With all the talk about how animals should be treated lately, my kids and I took a long look at our dog and decided not to eat any more meat. Here's an idea for a new law: before pet owners are allowed to eat cows, pigs, chickens, lambs or fish, they should first have to kill and eat an animal. In the scheme of things, what makes one animal more worthy of a life of love and safety than other?"

—Diekmeyer's open letter, 2004[16]

In March 2021, she made a YouTube video, titled "Are You Racist?", in which she spelled out the word "nigger" in an acrostic poem and encouraged people to "ban cruelty instead of words."[9] Another controversy arose in result of Diekmeyer's comment on a 2021 TikTok video by gaming YouTuber TommyInnit, where he talked about his YouTube Play Button, joking about showing it to girls. Using TikTok's stitch function, she responded, "Tommy! The nice vegan girls don't want to see your buttons, but if you want them to play with your buttons, you're going to have to show them your fruits and your vegetables," while taking out a cucumber, pear, and apple. This sexual joke enraged people online, owing to TommyInnit's age, then 16. Diekmeyer defended herself, claiming she "had no idea who he was," and that [at his age], he was considered a "college-age student" in Canada.[10][17] Later that year, she was IP banned from TikTok after being mass-reported for breaching community guidelines, though the exact cause was not specified.[11] Diekmeyer posted a video on her YouTube page, promising to not give up on her platform.[11][18] She has made more TikTok accounts but most of them have been banned.[19]

Personal life and views

Diekmeyer speaks English and French.[3] She condemns what she considers to be vegaphobia.[20] Her open letter, "Dog persuaded them to give up meat", censuring cruelty to animals, was published in the Montreal Gazette in 2004.[21] She has three children with her first husband.[7][3]

Discography

Albums

Title Album details
Some Things Can't Wait[7][22]

(as Karen Hobson)

  • Released: 1998
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: CD
Notes
  • Does not include content on streaming platforms.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Do-it-yourself Artists". The Gazette (Montreal). February 15, 1999. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Diekmeyer, Kadie Karen (December 5, 2021). Finally! After 9 1/2 Years! (video). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2022.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b c d Carroll, Ann (October 24, 1996). "Songstress spreads unity". Montreal Gazette. p. 111. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Diekmeyer, Kadie Karen (March 2, 2021). Ep.2 - Ethan Trace is a Disgrace (video). YouTube. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ Diekmeyer, Kadie Karen (September 10, 2021). @Mic the Vegan vs @SSSniperWolf (video). YouTube. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  6. ^ Williams, Janice (January 22, 2021). "Who Is the Infamous Vegan Teacher TikToker Behind Gordon Ramsay's Video?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Cornacchia, Cheryl (February 15, 1999). "Do-it-yourself artists". Montreal Gazette. p. 57. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Lee, Bryan (February 5, 2021). "Opinion: The Vegan Teacher Controversy". The Jag Journal. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Bonfiglio, Nahila (March 4, 2021). "That Vegan Teacher spells out N-word in video urging people to 'ban cruelty, not words'". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c Asarch, Steven (February 24, 2021). "A TikTok animal rights activist was banned from the app days after making a sexual joke about a 16-year-old YouTuber". Insider. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e Kiley, Rachel (February 23, 2021). "TikTok bans That Vegan Teacher after homophobic, racist videos". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Kiley, Rachel (January 26, 2021). "Popular TikTok vegan co-opts 'I can't breathe' to protest animal cruelty". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  13. ^ Muñoz, Rowan (September 30, 2021). "Opinion: That Vegan Teacher's Swan Song". The Cougar Press. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  14. ^ Digital Staff (September 14, 2020). "Vegan activist blasted for saying she would not donate organs to meat eaters". Sunrise. 7NEWS. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  15. ^ Chiorando, Maria (September 14, 2020). "Vegan TikTok Star Blasted For Refusing To Donate Organs To Meat Eaters". Plant Based News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  16. ^ Hobson, Karen (September 17, 2004). "Dog persuaded them to give up meat". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  17. ^ Puhak, Janine (February 24, 2021). "'That Vegan Teacher' says TikTok ban won't silence her following petition, controversies". Fox News. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  18. ^ Song, Sandra (February 24, 2021). "That Vegan Teacher Has Been Banned From TikTok". Paper. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Schroeder, Audra (March 9, 2021). "That Vegan Teacher created a new TikTok account—but it's already gone". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Giliver, Liam (February 24, 2021). "Who Is That Vegan Teacher? Why Did TikTok Ban Her?". Plant Based News. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  21. ^ Castravelli, Chris (September 18, 2004). "So what does rover eat?". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  22. ^ "Karen Hobson - "Some Things Can't Wait" (1998, CD)". Discogs. 1998. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.


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