 
Another of our many efforts to raise the profile of animal issues this year was the debut of our “Speak Up for Animals” seminar tour, which has so far made stops in Seattle, Miami, Phoenix, Austin, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The seminar teaches effective animal advocacy and helps local activists network with one another. We also scored numerous courtroom victories in 2007, including one that resulted from a case in which PETA members were stopped from handing out leaflets in Terre Haute, Ind., because the city had outlawed leafleting! With pro bono assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, we sued for First Amendment violations and won. In another case involving free-speech issues, PETA was sued by Schumacher Furs (of Portland, Ore.), which had closed down following months of vocal and visible protests by activists. The judge dismissed the claims against PETA as frivolous, and PETA will be collecting its legal costs and attorneys’ fees from Schumacher Furs and its owners. We also won a case resulting from our investigation of a Michigan fur farm where chinchillas were being killed in hideous ways. The owners sued us after we posted video footage from the investigation on our Web site, but again, the First Amendment prevailed and the judge dismissed the lawsuit, stating, “The methods and practices of raising and destroying animals, especially for commercial purposes, has been recognized as a matter of public concern” and “Undercover investigations are one of the main ways our criminal justice system operates.” We believe in recognizing good deeds in order to encourage more of the same. Our 2007 Proggy Awards (“proggy” for progress) went to 20 individuals and businesses that have educated the public about animal rights issues and provided alternatives to products and processes that hurt animals. The Proggys have become such a desirable accolade that some of the world’s largest corporations have begun asking us, “What can we do to get one?” Now that’s progress! The following pages cover many more highlights from 2007—all of which are a testament to the growing clout of our members and supporters worldwide, whose numbers will soon pass the 2 million mark. Our work is dedicated to those of you who make it possible for PETA to give a strong voice to those who don’t have one of their own. For all animals,
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So many wonderful things happened for animals in 2007. Among them were the publishing of PETA Senior Vice
President of Campaigns Dan Mathews’ autobiography Committed (described by Booklist as “a wildly entertaining memoir and a spirited overview of a serious social issue”) and the airing of an HBO documentary about my work with PETA entitled I Am an Animal, which won the award for best documentary at the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York.
