Gary Yourofsky

Gary Yourofsky (; born August 19, 1970) is an American animal rights activist, lecturer, and educator. He has had a major influence on contemporary veganism through his classroom lectures. The most notable speech Yourofsky gave, at Georgia Institute of Technology, is titled “The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear”, has received millions of views online, and is still shared in contemporary vegan activism. Yourofsky was sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) between 2002 and 2005, and has given many public lectures promoting veganism. In 2010, Yourofsky's popularity quickly accelerated around the world (especially in Israel) following the publication of a YouTube video of him giving a speech at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The video garnered millions of views and has been translated into tens of different languages. Yourofsky has been admired and criticized for his views that are often alleged to be extreme. He was arrested 13 times between 1997 and 2001 and spent 77 days in a Canadian maximum security prison in 1999 after raiding a fur farm in Canada and releasing 1,542 minks in 1997. He has been permanently banned from entering Canada and the United Kingdom. On March 30, 2017, Yourofsky announced the end of his activist life on his Facebook page, stating: "My tank is completely empty, so I will no longer be online or active in any capacity besides helping students with animal rights projects and answering emails from people who are beginning their vegan journeys." On May 19, 2025, Yourofsky announced via his YouTube channel that he would be joining Anonymous for the Voiceless in Cologne, Germany to be a part of an activism workshop and engage in outreach. Since then, Yourofsky has made several podcast appearances announcing that he is returning to activism after a 10 year...