Update: After this latest tragic horse-drawn carriage accident, New York native Adrien Brody has thrown his support behind PETA's campaign to get horses off New York City's streets. The Academy Award–winning actor wrote to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn on PETA's behalf urging her to adopt the proposed pilot program to replace the carriages with eco-friendly replicas of classic cars. You can read Adrien's letter here.

Originally posted August 19:

Yet another scary incident involving a horse occurred in Manhattan last week as Oreo, a horse forced to pull carriages around Central Park, panicked at the chaotic automotive traffic at Columbus Circle and fled down Broadway, overturning the carriage, which contained the driver and two passengers. Shocked onlookers—including Soledad O'Brien of CNN—watched as the carriage struck an object, splitting in two. Oreo was finally restrained and tranquilized by the police.

In addition to the public danger that crashes like this pose, as PETA has often pointed out in its campaign to help New York City's horses, it's simply cruel to make horses pull heavy loads on hard pavement in all kinds of weather, dodging loud traffic and inhaling exhaust fumes. Celebrities—including Martina Navratilova, Pink, Kristen Johnston, and Lea Michele—have offered their support for PETA's campaign to get these anguished animals off the mean streets of Gotham.

What You Can Do

It's high time for the horse-drawn carriage industry to be put out to pasture permanently. Please join PETA in asking City Council Speaker Christine Quinn to support a bill seeking to replace the carriages with eco-friendly classic cars.

Did you catch this online video showing a New York City horse-drawn carriage driver who spewed homophobic and racist slurs at some people who were peacefully distributing literature about the cruel carriage industry during NYC's Pride weekend?

Well, PETA pal, tennis legend, and gay icon Martina Navratilova has sent the video footage to NYC City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, also an outspoken gay rights advocate, along with a request on behalf of PETA to pass an initiative that would phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages in the city and allow electric, 1920s-era replica cars to gradually take their place.

As the list of accidents involving horse-drawn carriages grows and horses continue to endure pain and suffering on hot and hostile city streets, PETA has been campaigning to bring attention to the animals' plight. Martina says in her letter:

If horse-drawn carriage drivers are this abusive toward women, imagine how they treat their horses. Animal abuse and virulent bigotry are hardly appealing to visitors of tourism-dependent NYC.

What You Can Do

Please join Martina Navratilova, Lea Michele, Kristen Johnston, and many others in supporting an end to horse-drawn carriages in New York City by urging Speaker Quinn to support the initiative to replace them with eco-friendly classic cars.

Martina Navratilova is no stranger to winning, and we think she could soon have a victory under her dancing shoes, too, on season 14 of Dancing With the Stars. 

Martina's Moves for Animals

The tennis titan's determination has served her well both on the court and off. Rallying against cruelty to animals, she has been working with PETA since 1995, when she starred with a turkey friend in our "Live and Let Live" vegetarian campaign. 

Since then, Martina has helped with fur giveaways at homeless shelters, criticized Australia's live export and mulesing of sheep, asked universities to halt their cruel "gay sheep" experiments, criticized Atlanta Pride for holding a noisy party at an aquarium, and much more.

Martina's never been one to step lightly around important issues. She saves her fancy footwork for the tennis court—or the dance floor.

Vote for a friend of animals—vote for Martina!

Catch her in action tonight on Dancing With the Stars at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

We know that you love to talk about how much you love PETA (we love you too!), but if some jealous type ever responds, "Dude, PETA's soooo gay," don't get offended, 'cause it's totally true! Here are a half-dozen reasons why: 

1.      Cruelty is a drag. Long before the current flock of RuPaul wannabes ruled the airwaves, PETA enlisted drag divas—including Lady Bunny, Lypsinka, and Flotilla DeBarge—to shed some light (and throw some shade) on animal abuse.

2.      Give a gal a break. PETA has always been a lesbian haven—from Ellen DeGeneres to k.d. lang to Sara Gilbert—even before they come out!

3.      Can you make out our message? PETA's famous make-out tours have not only been girl-on-girl but also guy-on-guy, because all vegetarians make better lovers—no matter whom you love.

4.      Pride in our work. PETA's Oakland office is a fixture in San Francisco's legendary annual Pride Parade, but instead of tossing beads (which wouldn't go with what you're wearing, anyway), they toss literature about the benefits of a vegan diet.

5.      You can hear a name drop. With apologies to Logo, our famous friends include the crème de la crème of the real gay A-list. (Reichen and Rodiney? Girl, please.) Perez Hilton, Martina Navratilova, Lance Bass, and Tim Gunn are just a few of the celebs whose love—of justice for animals—dare speak its name.

6.      Closets are for clothes—as long as they're not made from fur, leather, or wool. The staffs of PETA and the PETA Foundation include plenty of out-and-proud LGBT folks, from yours truly to PETA's senior (but eternally young) V.P. of campaigns, Dan Mathews, who was named one of Out magazine's "Power 50" and whose exploits—including an attempt to turn leather men into pleather men—are detailed in his witty memoir, Committed.

Let's face it: Animals don't care whether people are GLBTQ or none of the above—they just need us to help them. To learn how, take a look at this.

Written by Jeff Mackey