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Gay men, lesbians, bisexual and
transgendered individuals who smoke are urged to quit smoking on
November 16 and improve their health (as well as the health of those
around them) by remaining smoke free.
The GLBT community is a
marketing dream. A distinct community with a strong identity that
is easily identified. A long untapped pool of disposable income not
occupied to the same degree as the straight community. After years of
being ostracized from society we support and identify those companies
who take the risk and market their products to us. For them the equation
is simple: risk = money. For us it means both identifying ourselves by
making this product “our own” while at the same time participating
with the larger community using the same things they do. “I AM the
same as you” (even if I have a more highly developed sense of
fashion!). Bottom line is that money is the decisive factor—the great
equalizer.
The tobacco industry (and alcohol
industry) has recognized the buying power of the GLBT community and is
exploiting us to the fullest extent. The industry knows very clearly who
we are. Cigarette ads targeting the GLBT community seek to exploit both
the pride and fear we have in ourselves for being different. They use
images that appeal to us; women flirting with women, men flirting with
men, phallic shaped race cars, images of wealth and fashion and so on.
Why A Gay American Smoke Out?
The Gay American Smoke Out is an
opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT)
individuals to challenge themselves to quit smoking. It is also an
opportunity for organizations to provide resources for quitting and host
fun events to raise awareness about tobacco use.
Nearly every anti-smoking campaign has
ignored the GLBT community—yet the GLBT community has a higher rate of
smoking than any other minority population. (New York Times, December
21, 1999).
About 56% of lesbians are current or
former smokers compared with 36% of women in general.
A 1999 household based survey found that
48.5% of gay and bisexual men reported smoking! The national average for
straight men is 28.6%.
The CDC reported in their Youth Risk
Behavior Survey that a whopping 59% of teenagers that classified
themselves as GLBT reported using tobacco. The national average for
straight teens is 35%.
If you would like to quit smoking,
contact the Gay Men’s Health Program of CAMP Rehoboth, 302-227-5620,
for your free Quit Kit. Also, contact your local American Cancer Society
office or visit www.gaysmokeout.net for tips on how to quit.
Article
re-printed with permission of zippydogs and the Gay American Smokeout
campaign.
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