Great piece. Western vegans should concentrate on addressing speciesism in their own cultures, not in others that they don’t understand.

As to names— I legally changed my middle name to Ahimsa as part of my gender transition. It’s not just a name I use online. My intention was to follow the literal translation — “do no harm” — to the best of my ability. I was under no illusion that Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, or any other religion that uses the word “ahimsa” embraces veganism. I’ve been an atheist for nearly 30 years, and while I appreciate much of what I’ve explored in Buddhism and Jainism (and did identify as a Buddhist for many years), these religions are human supremacist just as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are.