As someone who first took part in a Pride parade way back in the '80s (I was just a child, of course), I can confirm that LGBT folks love to twerk it to a sickening (in a good way) bass beat. But for captive marine mammals—many of whom navigate using an intricate sonar system—those loud noises are sickening in the worst way. That's why Project Runway's style guru and father figure, Tim Gunn, has joined PETA in appealing to the organizers of Atlanta Pride to move their annual kickoff party somewhere other than the Georgia Aquarium.

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Tim stands alongside LGBT luminaries Jane Lynch and Martina Navratilova—as well as thousands of concerned Pride supporters—in requesting that the event be relocated. In his letter to the Atlanta Pride executive director, Tim asks, "As a leader of Pride, you champion the human rights of the individuals in the LGBT community. How is it possible to be simultaneously dismissive of the pain and anguish suffered by another species of mammal?"

How You Can Help

Those who have experienced prejudice and oppression should know better than to inflict suffering on anyone else. Please ask Atlanta Pride to move the kickoff party to one of the city's many other venues.

You've watched the video of Justin Timberlake's "Veganville" skit on Saturday Night Live 20 times, posted it on Facebook, and tweeted the link. But do you have the shirt? The Passionate Vegan Personal Chef Service is offering "Bring It on Down to Veganville" shirts for everyone who can't get enough of the dancing tofu (which is pretty much everyone).

And if you're looking for some more animal-friendly awesomeness to retweet this week, might we offer a few suggestions?

Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone are getting in on the vegan action, too. The duo, along with Bill Gates, is offering financial backing to companies that are creating innovative new faux meats and nondairy products. 

Will The Bachelor's Sean Lowe's bride-to-be, Catherine Giudici, be having her wedding in Veganville? We're hoping to see the vegan blogger and her beau throw a cruelty-free celebration for their televised nuptials.

And Glen Davis is making vegan magic. Well, more accurately, he's making the Magic vegan. The Orlando Magic forward made the switch for his health, and PETA sent him a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, a "Glass Walls" DVD, and some cookbooks to get him well on his way to making up his own dance ode to one of his new favorite foods: tofu. 

Chef Tal Ronnen may have us all dancing in the grocery store aisles soon. Not content to rest on his laurels after opening one of L.A.'s hottest new eateries, the all-vegan restaurant Crossroads this weekend, he is now crafting his own line of vegan artisanal cheeses, Kite Hill Cheese. 

Soon, we can snack on Kite Hill Cheese and crackers while we watch one of our other best buds, Tim Gunn, help the Project Runway designers "make it work." When Us Weekly interviewed him for its "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" column, of course Tim worked in a plug for animals: "I love dogs, especially mutts." 

Tom Hardy loves dogs, too, as evidenced by how he's bonding with his canine costar on the set of Animal Rescue. Ecorazzi reports that "the film will not only bring up animal abuse issues, but problems surrounding pit bulls in animal shelters." 

To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter. 

Wrongdoers, watch out—wearing animals' skins and fur is a total (and literal) rip-off, but PETA, as always, is on the case! October has been declared Crime Prevention Month by the National Crime Prevention Council, and we're glad to do our part here at The PETA Files—after all, it's the least any animal advocate could do for a group whose symbol is a dog.

What happens to animals who are killed for their skins may not be illegal in many places (yet), but it's a flagrant violation of their rights. Confined to cages, caught in steel-jaw traps, subjected to cruel abuses, nailed to trees, suffocated, electrocuted, gassed, poisoned, bludgeoned, hanged, and often skinned alive—together, it's a crime against common decency.

PETA (and Pals) on Patrol

So PETA's walking the beat and throwing the book at offenders. The fabulous PETA "fashion police"—gotta love a cop in pleather!—hit the city streets to hand out tickets for leathery larceny and felony fur-flaunting. They've even braved that most hostile of precincts, New York Fashion Week, where they issued a citation to the cruelest of all fur hags, Vogue's Anna Wintour, proving that they never miss the meaner misdemeanors.

Some of PETA's famous friends are taking on crime-busting duties, too. Pink and Ricky Gervais use their voices to call out the skin trade for what it really is—theft—in PETA's attention-getting "Stolen for Fashion" video, while Tim Gunn reminds everyone that these aren't victimless crimes. Then there's the animals' own wonder woman, Pamela Anderson, who gets the message across that "cruelty doesn't fly" (with a little help from Steve-O, Andy Dick, and Carol Leifer) as only she can:

What You Can Do

Keep on the straight and narrow—sign PETA's pledge that you'll shed everyone's skin but your own!

Fashionistas around the globe were in for a treat when Tim Gunn released his third book, Tim Gunn's Fashion Bible: The Fascinating History of Everything in Your Closet. Animals were in for a treat, too, when Tim devoted nearly half his chapter "Coats and Jackets" to explaining "why fur belongs in the dustbin of history." He discussed how, during his tenure at Liz Claiborne, Inc., he agreed to meet with PETA Vice President Dan Mathews to discuss the possibility of the 46 Liz brands, which include Juicy Couture and Kate Spade, going fur-free. "[O]ver time," Tim remembered, "I became convinced that fur was unnecessary and even immoral." Liz Claiborne is completely fur-free, thanks to Tim, as is Project Runway. And if Tim has his way, the rest of the fashion industry won't be far behind.

While Tim strutted his animal-friendly stuff during the opening number at the Emmys, Carrie Ann Inaba was using the occasion to speak up for animals, too, tweeting at her Dancing With the Stars fans, "And even though it's a big day for all of us in Hollywood, let's not forget the animals… Help animals in need!!" She then posted a link to a video about why everyone should adopt, never buy. 

Elsewhere on Twitter, Wisconsin native Kristin Bauer was appalled by the University of Wisconsin–Madison's cruel cat laboratories, Kat Graham had a colorful way to describe being vegan, and Sam Simon cracked us up:

Candace Parker wasn't at the Emmys, but she still scooped up an award. The fur foe snagged the Player of the Month Award for the WNBA's Western Conference, and we're sure that animals would agree that it couldn't have gone to a nicer person.

Maybe Candace felt as "damn good" about her honor as Dax Shepherd said his vegan diet makes him feel.

The Boss must be feeling pretty good, too. Bruce Springsteen just turned 63, and he is still rocking, thanks to his primarily vegetarian diet and his passion for exercise.

Vegan Russell Simmons is always doing something rocking for animals. After an African safari in which he got to see animals in the wild, he spoke out against circuses and zoos, writing on his Global Grind website: "These magnificent animals I encountered on the safari aren't riding on bicycles or jumping through rings of fire like kids see them do at the horribly cruel circuses where they are routinely beaten and neglected. These great beasts were tending to their young, running free and just being left alone to live their lives."

Carrie Underwood might not have the same musical tastes as Russell, but the two are singing the same tune when it comes to animal rights. The country songbird posted a picture of a chipmunk she took to her veterinarian after her dog tried to eat the little animal. Dale, as she called the chipmunk, was fine and was happily released back into nature.

Model Joanna Krupa was a model of compassion when she rescued a lost dog she spotted during a hike. After a long chase, she was able to catch the dog, read his tags, and call his thankful guardians.

Al Roker made another dog grateful recently when he adopted a 10-week-old puppy named Pepper from an animal shelter. PETA helped the Roker family welcome their newest member with some fun toys and treats.

To keep up with what your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter. 

Lady Gaga has plenty of fans—especially in the gay community, which she has embraced so fervently. Gay Gaga fans at PETA loved her all the more when she came out against fur, telling Ellen DeGeneres, "I hate fur and I don't wear fur." But recent furry Gaga photos show that the Lady may be a turncoat. So PETA VP Dan Mathews has written to Gaga to find out if she's become a "Judas" to animals:

Dear Gaga,

Many of your gay fans, I among them, have long admired what you told Ellen: "I hate fur and I don't wear fur." I included a link because these recent photos of you in fox and rabbit and with a wolf carcass make it appear that you have amnesia. I'm also including this brief video hosted by Tim Gunn showing the violent cruelty that you promote when you wear fur. What happened? Are your stylists telling you that it's fake, or are you a turncoat? Many gays are animal advocates because we recognize that the same arrogance and indifference that some have toward animal suffering has at times been directed toward us personally because of our orientation. PETA has long participated in Pride events around the country, and just last week, we helped lead protests against Chick-fil-A. But by wearing those dumb furs in a heat wave, you're making yourself a target just like the mindless Kim Kardashian. As we plan our fall campaigns, please tell us whether what you gracefully told Ellen was heartfelt or just a pose.

We await your reply.

Sincerely,

Dan Mathews

Senior Vice President

PETA

What You Can Do

Gaga has refused to say whether the furs that she has been wearing are fake, so won't you chime in to try and get her to reply?

International model Austin Armacost is used to mouths dropping open when he passes by, but we doubt anyone will be able to pick their jaws up off the floor after they've seen the ad Austin shot last week for PETA's naked anti-fur campaign. The star of The A-List: New York walked a runway completely nude to show that it's much more comfortable to be in your own skin than someone else's. Here's a sneak peek behind the scenes:

Photo: Aaron Cobbett

Photo: Aaron Cobbett

Austin hopes that by, ahem, exposing his views, he can appeal to designers and stylists and persuade them to join Calvin Klein and the many other fashion icons who now avoid fur like a Westboro Baptist Church picnic.

Cheering Austin on from the front row were Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, Marie Claire's Sergio Kletnoy, rapper Cazwell, Austin’s A-List co-stars Ryan Nickulas and Derek Saathoff, animal advocate extraordinaire Simone Reyes, and many others.

The ad will launch just in time for New York Fashion Week and feature a strategically placed QR code that will take smartphone users to the fur industry exposé that Tim Gunn narrated for PETA.

Tonight on The Real Housewives of Orange County, viewers will see Vicki Gunvalson in fur for the last time. When she received a mink coat as a gift on last week's episode, PETA immediately sent her our video exposé of the fur industry narrated by none other than fashion guru Tim Gunn. 

As soon as she saw that her coat was made of animals who had been beaten, electrocuted, or skinned alive, Gunvalson refused to wear fur again. In a statement to Bravo TV's The Dish, Gunvalson revealed:

Gunvalson joins a growing list of celebrities, including Sharon Osbourne, Bethenny Frankel, Lea Michele, Eva Mendes, Olivia Munn, Joanna Krupa, and others, who publicly shun fur.

Gunvalson asks any Real Housewives fans who are still harboring fur in their closets to join her in donating it to PETA. 

Of all the reasons why Project Runway is turn-off-the-phone-and-lock-the-door must-see television, the inimitable Tim Gunn, whose superb taste is surpassed only by his kindness, is at the top of the list. On last week's episode, Gunn, ahem, shot down designer Josh Christensen when he tried to use real fur. That wasn't about to fly with PETA's 2009 Man of the Year, who promptly told Christensen to part with the pelt, saying, "We're fur-free."

Christensen must not have known that Project Runway has a strict fur-free policy, thanks to Gunn, who narrated PETA's fur farm exposé and  sent it to furry designers. If any Runway fans weren't aware that designers have to go faux or go home, they are now.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

After coming under the Gunn, the Miss Florida USA pageant will no longer award fur coats to its winners. PETA's 2009 Man of the Year, Tim Gunn, wrote a letter to Grant H. Gravitt Jr., the executive producer of the pageant, explaining that animals killed for their fur are electrocuted, drowned, bludgeoned, or skinned alive and asked him to drop animal skins from the competition. Gravitt apparently agreed that ugly fur has no place in a beauty competition, earning him a thank-you from the Project Runway star.
 

 
There is nothing glamorous about cruelty to animals. It's time for all pageants that still give fur coats as prizes, such as the Miss Maryland pageant, to celebrate the beauty of kindness. Sign PETA's fur-free pledge and be beautiful in your own skin so that animals can keep theirs.  

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

PETA's party for New York Fashion Week was a smashing success, even by Fashion Week standards. Hosted by Project Runway's Tim Gunn and Olivia Munn, the celebrity guests included Taraji P. Henson, Joan Jett, reality stars Lo Bosworth and Stephanie Pratt, and fashion designers Todd Oldham, John Bartlett, and Marc Bouwer, plus many others. They all partied at Stella McCartney's chic New York City boutique while listening to tunes spun by DJ Lady Bunny and munching on delicious vegan hors d'oeuvres.

Co-hosts, Tim Gunn and Olivia Munn

Taraji P. Henson and Lady Bunny

Joan Jett and Todd Oldham

Tim, looking dashing as always, screened the riveting anti-fur video that he narrated for PETA and spoke about how killing animals for their fur is never in fashion. "I'm on a campaign to get as many fashion designers as possible to stop using it," said Gunn. "I'd just like to sit with them and have a talk and ask, 'Is it really necessary?'" And when Tim Gunn talks about fashion, people listen.

Henson, the latest beauty to bare it all for animals, unveiled her sexy new ad and told the party attendees that she stopped wearing fur after channel-surfing and coming across the "I Am an Animal" documentary about PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. What she saw changed her entire perspective on fur, and she resolved to help others see the light."You don't have to kill an animal because you want to be hot and fly," she said. And she promised the crowd to keep on pushing to get fur off the streets.  

Written by Michelle Sherrow