Aguada Man Is Finalist in PETA's 'Sexiest Vegetarian' Contest

The Vote Is On--Winners Will Head Off to Maui for One Week

For Immediate Release:
March 29, 2010

Contact:
Kristina Addington 757-622-7382

Aguada, Puerto Rico -- What do Heroes hottie Milo Ventimiglia and country music crooner Kellie Pickler have in common? They are the reigning king and queen of PETA's annual Sexiest Vegetarian Alive contest. PETA has now expanded the contest to include the Sexiest Vegetarians Next Door--one male and one female--and 27-year-old Aguada resident Emilio Rivera Gonzalez beat out hundreds of other entrants from across the U.S. to become one of 10 male contestants to advance to the final round.

Gonzalez is a full-time student at InterAmerican University and has split his time between Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland for most his life. He went vegetarian nine years ago after discovering how delicious veggie dogs and veggie burgers can be. Gonzalez is now vegan, along with his wife and stepdaughters, and his father recently kicked the meat habit. Gonzalez never passes up a chance to join an animal rights protest, including one that persuaded a clothing retailer to stop selling fur. But his favorite story is about how he saved the life of his beloved dog, Star. Gonzalez rescued Star as a puppy just as she was about to cross a street that teemed with traffic. His passions include animal rights, the environment, human rights, basketball, and reading, and his role model is former Ultimate Fighting champion and vegan Matt Danzig.

"On average, vegetarians are slimmer and healthier than meat-eaters are, and that makes them sexier too," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, who notes that vegetarians get all the protein, vitamins, and other nutrients that they need without consuming all the cholesterol and saturated fats that are found in meat and dairy products. "One look at our radiant lineup of sexy finalists and it's clear that they're all winners."

To see Gonzalez's photo and bio, along with profiles of the other sexy vegetarian finalists, please click here. The second round of voting ends March 31, and the two winners will be announced on April 14. Each winner will spend seven nights in beautiful Maui, courtesy of the PETA Member Advantage Program.

For more information and to vote in the contest, please visit PETA.org or click here.