Ke$ha and Steve-O have been honored by PETA with Libby Awards.
Twenty-nine Libby Awards will be given out this year, recognizing everything from the most animal-friendly record label to the top animal-friendly celebrity. Each winner will receive a framed certificate and be featured on peta2.com.
From starring in a campaign aimed at stomping out the Canadian seal slaughter to tackling McDonald’s archaic chicken-slaughter methods, Ke$ha didn’t hesitate to spread the word about animal protection in 2011—and now, the Animal singer has won the title of Most Animal-Friendly Pop/Hip-Hop Artist from peta2, PETA’s youth division.
The sixth annual Libby Awards (“Libby” is for “liberation”) honor animal-friendly people and products.
“Ke$ha is quick to act when sleazy behavior—like cruelly killing chickens or slaughtering seals—hurts animals,” says peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg. “peta2 is proud to have this animal on our team.”
Also up for Ke$ha’s award were Justin Bieber, k-os, and Waka Flocka Flame.
In 2011, Jackass’ Steve-O spread the word about animal protection everywhere he went. He opened up about the health benefits of going vegan, joined PETA and local animal activists urging the Edmonton Zoo to retire Lucy, an ailing elephant—and when he found out that an American Diabetes Association event that he was attending was serving meat, he walked out, saying it was “like serving alcohol at an AA meeting.” Steve-O’s staunch animal advocacy has landed him the Libby Award for Top Animal-Friendly Celebrity.
“When it comes to tackling animal abuse, Steve-O isn’t clowning around,” says peta2 Division Manager Marta Holmberg. “He may be quick to risk his safety for a stunt, but he’s quicker to point out that animals should be protected, not killed for food or exploited in a shoddy zoo or a circus.”
Steve-O has teamed up with PETA and peta2 for several campaigns, including a quirky video promoting cruelty-free fashion, an anti-dissection ad encouraging kids to “cut class, not frogs,” a serious slam against the Canadian seal slaughter, and a provocative anti-fur ad that features him in the buff. His stiff competition included fur foe Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship fame, Victorious star and “Hug a Vegetarian” Day proponent Daniella Monet, and Glee star Lea Michele, a passionate vegetarian who has campaigned against New York City’s cruel horse-drawn carriages.
