Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt found that a billboard from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals criticizing his love of meat was the perfect backdrop for an impromptu barbecue event.
“Looks like a great spot to grill some burgers,” Stitt said in a tweet with a picture of the sign, which calls him a “meathead.”
So, he did just that.
Stitt, adorning an apron that simply says “BEEF,” hosted an event just under the billboard where he served as grillmaster and talked with supporters and local farmers.
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The event was the culmination of a back-and-forth between Stitt and his state’s PETA chapter that began when the governor announced “meat week” in March.
“While Governor Polis in Colorado declared today a ‘meatless holiday,’ next week in Oklahoma is ‘MEAT ALL WEEK,'” Stitt said in a social media post on March 20. “Do what you can to buy and eat protein. I can’t wait to have a big juicy ribeye — and I will always stand with our farmer and ranchers!”
The billboard, which also encourages people to “Go Vegan for Life,” was erected in response.
PETA issued a statement in response to the barbecue event, calling it a “smelly, dead-animal barbecue,” and several other animal rights activists criticized the event online.
“PETA is sending the governor a back brace, since he must be in agony from all the bowing and scraping he has to do to keep his meat-industry backers happy,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in the statement. “His constituents who end up in critical care with cancer, heart disease, strokes, and other conditions associated with meat consumption deserve everyone’s sympathy.”
