Joan Jett Slams SeaWorld for Sexually Abusing Marine Animals

Joan Jett is crashing SeaWorld's virtual annual shareholders meeting to protest the sexual abuse of the park's whales and dolphins.  She is making statements today on behalf of PETA, three days before she'll join one of the hottest tickets of the summer performing on Motely Crue and Def Leppard's Stadium Tour.

According to a PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) release, Jett will talk about the forced impregnation practices at the so-called "abusement" park.

Jett's statement reads: "SeaWorld has caused public outrage by continuing to forcibly breed bottlenose dolphins and beluga whales in order to create generations of animals who then suffer in cramped tanks, deprived of any semblance of a natural life. In the park’s breeding program, unwilling female dolphins are taken from the water and sometimes even drugged so they can’t fight back while SeaWorld staff thrust tubes filled with semen into their uteruses. Some must endure this process repeatedly, only for their babies to die or be taken away and shipped off to other marine prisons. We can all agree that sexually abusing dolphins and whales who must carry out their forced pregnancies is disrespectful to these forms of intelligent life, heedless of these wonderful animals’ rights, and just plain wrong. My question is this: When will SeaWorld end its sordid breeding program?"

PETA says that Jett is not alone in railing against the inhumane practices at SeaWorld-type destinations.  She joins a long list of celebrities—including P!nk, Noah Cyrus, Bella Thorne and Steve Aoki—who have teamed up with PETA to speak out against cruel marine parks.

This isn't the first time that Jett has rallied for PETA or the rights of animals. Despite leather being an integral part of her on-stage look, she hasn't been wearing it for several years. She also says she maintains a "nearly vegan diet," with only a little bit of honey and butter being the exceptions to the rule.

She says eating a burger is like eating a pet. “I’m not judging anyone else’s path, but to me I might as well be putting my cat on a dinner plate,” she said. “To me, there’s no difference (between that) or my grandmother, or for that matter, a baby – baby meat is very tender, just ask the veal and the lamb. Where do you draw the line?”

Recently, Joan has been defending her musicianship against Ted Nugent.  The "Nuge'" took issue with Rolling Stone's inclusion in their "100 Greatest Guitarists" list, ranting bizarrely, "You have to have shit for brains and you have to be a soulless, soulless prick to put Joan Jett… [I] love Joan. Some of my greatest memories include lesbians. I love the lesbians; it's a cocktail of wonderment."

Jett's response?  "Is that his implication… that he should be on the list instead of me?" she questioned. "Well, that’s just typical – it’s what I’ve dealt with my whole life, being written off. Ted Nugent has to live with being Ted Nugent. He has to be in that body, so that’s punishment enough.”

Jett has three days until the delayed and highly anticipated Stadium Tour begins in Atlanta.  She'll be on the road all summer with Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Poison.