This thesis examines a small sample of vegans’ thoughts and feelings about living and interacting within the dominant culture and violent ideology of carnism (i.e., the belief system that assumes it is normal, natural, and necessary to eat meat and other animal byproducts). Vegans believe they have removed the lens of carnism from their worldview and no longer can continue to participate in many traditional, and therefore normalized, cultural practices that involve animal abuse. Their abstinence from exploitative practices causes discomfort for them, their social networks and community at large, which results in social and emotional difficulty for vegans living in a hegemonic meat culture. Navigating between the status quo and their moral values gained through further education and evaluation of these practices, results in the perpetual pressures of the burden of knowing about animal suffering and little effort put forth by their fellow humans to change their fate. The day-to-day interaction with carnists subjects vegans to social pressure and stigma, which over time can lead to experiences of complicated grief.