San Antonio firefighter, Navy vet wins title of 'Sexiest Vegan Next Door'

San Antonio firefighter, Aaron Gaunt, is one of the 10 male finalists in PETA's 2017 Sexiest Vegan Next Door. San Antonio firefighter, Aaron Gaunt, is one of the 10 male finalists in PETA's 2017 Sexiest Vegan Next Door. Photo: Courtesy Aaron Gaunt Photo: Courtesy Aaron Gaunt Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close San Antonio firefighter, Navy vet wins title of 'Sexiest Vegan Next Door' 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

Aaron Gaunt, San Antonio's very own Navy veteran, firefighter and animal right's advocate has won PETA's 2017 Sexiest Vegan Next Door.

Gaunt's new title has earned him a free vacation for two to Maui, Hawaii, and nationwide recognition for his lifestyle choices.

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Gaunt told mySA.com that the first thing he did upon receiving the news was call his mom and tell her to pack her bags.

As a vegan, Gaunt said he is most excited about how the contest helped spread the word of the vegan lifestyle and the speaking events that have presented themselves to him.

"I would have never had the opportunity to do these without the contest," Gaunt said.

The Sexiest Vegan Next Door competed against hundreds of contestants and thousands voted to earn him the title.

READ MORE: Meet the San Antonio firefighter, Navy vet who may be the next Sexiest Vegan Next Door

Arnisha Keaton, an Army Reserve chemist and railroader from Atlanta, won the women's title.

Check out Gaunt's reaction to the victory in the text from a Facebook post below.

"I WON the "SEXIEST VEGAN NEXT DOOR 2017" contest! 2 1/2 years I met a Vegan named Stephanie Tuck in Sicily who told me to watch the documentary FORKS OVER KNIVES. I said to her like anyone else "I could never go Vegan". After putting it off for a couple weeks I finally watched it. I learned that animal products were the leading cause of many of our leading killers such as heart disease, type two diabetes, etc. I was one of those crazy people who went plant-based over night. But like any diet, you could go back to your old habits. Instead of doing that I did a bit of research. I stumbled upon a speech by a man named Gary Yourofsky. After watching this, the logic on making the connection between my core values on animal cruelty and my diet made no sense. I was faced with a decision. I said to myself that I am now an "Ethical Vegan" for it was more of a belief system to harm and slaughter an animal for no reason than it was not too. Also If what happens in the house of slaughter was not good enough for my eyes, what made it good enough for my stomach. I tell you this for my reasoning why I became Vegan. I know people think it's weird, but so did I. It didn't change my political views, my stance on guns, my goofy sense of humor, or anything else. Just my motive on my diet and clothes. I want to thank everyone who voted and shared. And thank you to the people who voted more than once and to the people who even voted every day!! It means more to me than you know for showing your support in this contest. You guys seriously ROCK!!!"

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@jerilynnthorpe