A transgender man has been named PETA's 'Sexiest Vegan Next Door'.

Each year, PETA hands the crown to one man and one woman.

And this year's male winner is 34-year-old Dexter Thomas, a transgender man who grew up on a cattle ranch in Salt Lake City, Utah, before denouncing meat-eating.

The female winner is Washington, DC-based physician Chioma Ohalete.

The male winner of PETA's annual Sexiest Vegan Next Door award is 34-year-old Dexter Thomas, a transgender man who grew up on a cattle ranch in Salt Lake City, Utah, before denouncing meat-eating

Vegans do not eat any animal products. While vegetarians avoid meat, vegans also avoid substances such as eggs and butter that come from chickens and cows.

Thomas first went vegan when he was 17.

It was the same year he began campaigning for animal rights and young LGBTQ rights.

Over the years, he persuaded his parents and his brother to go vegan too.

Now a PhD student in social psychology at the University of Utah, he is an ambassador for veganism and animal protection in the state.

It hasn't been an easy journey.

Dexter dropped out of high school as he faced difficulties as a transgender man in the public school system.

Years later, he returned to get his diploma and proceed to university.

'I learned firsthand that people are capable of immense cruelty toward others who they perceive to be inferior to them,' Thomas said in a statement.

'When I started to realize that this attitude drives a transphobia, homophobia, sexism, and so on, I also realized it fuels outdated attitudes toward other animals.

'This is part of what motivated me to go vegan when I was 17.'

'Dexter's deep commitment to exposing the common roots of oppression and advocating for individuals in need — regardless of species — makes him number one on our list,' Tracy Reiman, PETA's executive vice president, said in a statement.

Dexter wins a free trip for two to Maui.

Dedicated: Dexter became vegan aged 17 and has since been a vehement campaigner for animal rights