Gunn Fight: Tim Gunn Calls Out Cruel, Homophobic Horse Carriage Industry

In the quest to free horses from New York City’s cruel horse-drawn carriage industry, animal advocates are bringing out the big guns. PETA’s Man of the Year alum Tim Gunn has written to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to point out not only that the industry is cruel to animals but also that many carriage drivers have been caught on camera shouting racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs.

“I’m proud to live in Manhattan,” Tim wrote. “It can be a haven of tolerance, but the carriage drivers are warping it into a hotbed of hate. Bullies such as the drivers in these videos disregard not only the suffering of animals but also the basic rights of New Yorkers.” Mayor de Blasio is famously opposed to the horse-drawn carriages, and Tim expressed his equal desire to see all the horses retired.

In other celebrity news:

• The Piano Man knows that ivory keys aren’t worth an elephant’s life. As New York State was considering a bill that would ban ivory sales, Billy Joel took to his website to voice his support. “There are other materials which can be substituted for piano keys. But magnificent creatures like these can never be replaced,” he wrote. “Music should be a celebration of life—not an instrument of death.” And no sooner had Billy voiced his New York state of mind than the state passed the bill, shutting down the second-largest ivory market in the world.
• As PETA friend Dame Vivienne Westwood presented her new men’s collection, her models walked the runway wearing pig noses to make a statement against factory farming. The collection is appropriately titled, “Moral Outrage.”
• While Reese Witherspoon is filming in New Orleans, she was spotted taking some of her family to nosh on vegan hot dogs from Dat Dog.
• These stars know how to show their vegan-food pride: BLOCK_MULTI_0 BLOCK_MULTI_1

  @MISSMYA Good Morning I've been bouncing back and forth for the last 2 years from Vegetarian to Vegan. I must say I love Being Vegan

  — Pleasure Ellis (@PleasureEllis) June 19, 2014

  Life couldn't be better right now… At a vegan restaurant at the airport watching the World Cup

  — Amanda Cerny (@AmandaCerny) June 18, 2014

  A vegan burger!! Yes please! #Yum http://t.co/5skz4lw3qM http://t.co/t2EgEdCckp

  — lisa rinna (@lisarinna) June 23, 2014

• What did Edie Falco do to earn a rousing hand from the audience at The Colbert Report? When Stephen mentioned that Edie is vegetarian and works with PETA to convince parents not to take their kids to circuses that use animals, the room erupted in applause.
• Further proof that dogs are a girl’s best friend: When O, The Oprah Magazine asked Olivia Wilde to name her best friend, she responded, “Paco, my 11-year-old mutt.” And added, “I’m praying that my child takes after him.”
• Wimbledon, Schmimbledon? The day before the big event, tennis great Andy Murray had other things on his mind, such as rescuing a dog he spotted running alongside a busy road. Andy parked his car in the middle of the road and stopped traffic until he could get the dog into his car. Then he called the number on the dog’s tag and drove him to a nearby park, where the dog’s worried owner instantly became Andy’s number one fan.

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