Inspired by the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to roll a stone up a mountain only to have it roll back down every time, PETA’s very own Sisyphus, dressed in a loincloth circa 1 million B.C., will push a giant vegan cheese wheel up a hill on Thursday—and push everyone, particularly resistant men, to go vegan in the new year.

When:    Thursday, January 4, 12 noon

Where:    At the intersection of Bourbon and Iberville streets, New Orleans 

The prehistoric display aims to call upon everyone—but primarily men, who are the most likely to say that they “just can’t give up” dairy cheese—to “man up” and overcome their addiction. To prove how easy this is, everyone who shows up to witness the feat will be treated to complimentary creamy, dairy-free cheese wheels from Babybel, just one of the many tasty vegan cheeses on the market in 2024.

“Men are renowned for being the most stubborn, cheese-addicted people, and we’re challenging them to switch to delicious vegan cheese for the sake of their arteries, the animals, and the Earth,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s display will remind everyone that kicking cruel and unhealthy dairy cheese to the curb is not a Sisyphean task.”

PETA notes that real men are protectors, not bullies, and in the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers, often within a day of birth, so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold to humans. PETA’s investigations into dairy facilities have found workers electroshocking cows in the face, hitting them with poles and a cane, and abusing them in other ways. Once their bodies wear out from repeated pregnancies, they’re sent to slaughter.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers a free vegan starter kit on its website.

For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.