PETA's Dan Mathews :: A hottie on a mission

Sexy, sympathetic, smart, and scandalous... what more could you ask for?

Longtime People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activist Dan Mathews is known as much for his good looks and clothes-shedding as he is for his work helping animals. As the man behind PETA's "I'd rather go naked..." campaign, he's responsible for convincing celebs as diverse as Lady Bunny, Martha Stewart, and Reverend Al Sharpton to narrate anti-cruelty videos, and has created campaigns for the likes of Pink, Pamela Anderson, and Paul McCartney.

As a longtime vegetarian, I've been familiar with Dan's work both on the scene and behind for many years. With a fabulous new book- and tour to promote it- I'm guessing that a lot more people are soon going to be familiar with his work- and his good looks- in the weeks to come. (Hopefully he's got someone to handle his fan mail...)

Committed: A Rabble-Rouser's Memoir (Atria Books) is the story of Mathews' life and outrageous career, from his early job as a PETA receptionist to his current position as resident hottie and creative genius at the organization. (If you're one to get caught up on official details, he's actually PETA's Vice President.) Aside from being a dedicated animal activist and beautiful example of humanity both inside and out, Mathews is also a proud "friend of Dorothy," and has drawn connections between his being gay and the motivation that helped lead him to work protecting animals. One of his first acts of kindness was taking in some alley cats who'd been beaten and bloodied by the same thugs who'd recently attacked and threatened to kill him.

A former runway model himself, Mathews was inspired to become a vegetarian by the writings of philosophers Pythagoras and Plutarch, and moved to Washington, D.C. to work for PETA. It wasn't long before he had worked his way up the ranks, and within a few years was developing the creative- and controversial- campaigns the organization is known for. He's taken over the GM float in the Rose Parade (to protest their using animals in crash tests- a practice since stopped thanks to him), snuck a video of Gillette's animal tests being conducted into their executive cafeteria (thereby ending the practice), and impersonated a priest to gain entry into a fur designer's fashion show, where he jumped onstage with a sign declaring, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill.'

Whether you agree with Mathews' practices and beliefs or not, there's no denying his principles, dedication, and ability to create change. It also turns out that he's a great writer; Committed is interesting, moving, funny, and entertaining. Lily Tomlin described it as "Smart, silly and downright readable, with an unstoppable spirit. Like David Sedaris but with a mission."

And not that I put any value on this fact, but Dan is also HOT! He's a great guy in person- and if you're lucky (or don't mind driving), you can meet him at one of his appearances on his book tour. From mid-March to mid-April he'll be touring the country promoting animal rights, and talking about his book. A complete list of stops follows- if you stop by to see him, tell him that Jason from EDGE sent you!

Committed: A Rabble-Rouser's Memoir is available at most bookstores and on Amazon.com

Personal appearances

(All appearances are at 7pm unless otherwise noted. Please call ahead to confirm.)

Monday, March 17
Barnes & Noble
5501 West Broad Street
Richmond, VA

Monday, March 24
Borders - Mission Valley
San Diego

Tuesday, March 25
Borders,
356 Santana Row,
San Jose, CA

Wednesday, March 26
Borders
2339 Fair Oaks Boulevard
Sacramento, CA

Thursday, March 27
Borders
2190 N. Rainbow Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV

Tuesday, April 1
Poisoned Pen
4014 N Goldwater Blvd.
Scottsdale, AZ

Monday, April 7
Borders
3600 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX

Tuesday, April 15
Borders
6670 Sawmill Road
Columbus, OH

Thursday, April 17
5:30 p.m.
Borders
29 Church Street
Burlington, VT

Friday, April 18
Books on the Square
471 Angell Street
Providence, RI