[ferndalezoo]

will probably get some flack for this, but bear with me please. Let me state up front that I am NOT vegetarian. I do have some leather items in my wardrobe. I choose not to wear fur, and I'd rather not see it on anyone else. I have no opinion on "faux" fur (so long as it actually IS faux). I think drinking the breastmilk of another species is weird, but I do like cheese, and have been known to eat it. I am not against animal medical testing that has an important outcome (my son was saved by a surgery originally developed on dogs. Later, my dog was saved by the same surgery) but I am against cosmetic testing on animals. I guess you could call me a "animal rights moderate".

I'd avoid quoting PETA. Because of the extreme position of some within the organization, many people tend to block out anything else you have to say as soon as the word "PETA" comes up in conversation. On any particular issue, they may be right, but because of the bad press (much of it deserved, much of it not), many of the people you'd be trying to sway won't take it seriously if the information comes from them. Instead, try quoting from your own experience, or those of people you know/knew. Personal "testimony" goes a much longer way for me than anything some organization could drum up.