You smoke, you lose!

This is the motto of our joint 2006-2007 campaign with Verbena, Gay City Health Project, The LGBT Tobacco Coalition, and the Washington State Department of Health. Our objective is to raise awareness and educate about the harmful effects of tobacco on our health and the great economic impact it has on the LGBTQ community. quienfumapierde@entrehermanos.org

This is the second year we join the efforts of our community to have a healthier life, free from cancer-causing smoke. Verbena, Gay City Health Project, the LGBT Tobacco Coalition, and the Washington State Health Department sponsor our campaign. In this new program, which goes on until June of 2007, Entre Hermanos will be actively organizing events that will raise awareness about the multiple consequences and impact that cigarettes and addiction to them have on our health. The main drive of our campaign is the struggle LGBTQ organizations carry out to create a sense of social responsibility among us, and to raise a critical awareness of how tobacco companies buy our silence by supporting our advertising and social programs. How do they do it, you may ask:

- Direct advertising in magazines targeting LGBTQs.
- Indirect advertising with same sex models in magazines, which have LGBTQs among their subscribers.
- Sponsorship of events and organizations that imply support of our efforts toward recognition of our sexual diversity.

It’s worth reflecting on how many times we find ads with themes having to do with our reality, such as freedom, social and monetary success, acceptance, and celebrating our differences. But watch out; their underlying motivation is the promotion and business around their harmful and dangerous products!

We can’t allow ourselves to be used for an increase in their bottom line at a cost to our health. Remember that:

Smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease in the U.S.

Cigarettes have turned into a part of our culture in our process towards acceptance in mainstream society.

Young people start their road to addiction as a way of belonging to a particular social group.

Reality shows us that LGBTQ gathering venues are filled with smoke and tobacco as part of a ritual to have conversation.

59% of LGBTQ identifying youth use tobacco, in contrast with 35% of the general population.

Medical research suggests that smoking has a noxious effect on people living with HIV.

Tobacco is disproportionately promoted and advertised to the Latino community at cultural and artistic events.

This requires ACTION:

Be aware that nicotine creates addiction. The best decision you can take is to avoid the temptation of cigarettes.

Join the thousands of non-smokers in speaking in favor of a smoke-free environment.

If you’ve tried to quit smoking and haven’t succeeded, don’t worry. It takes 5-7 tries to quit smoking for good.

Protect yourself and yours from second-hand cigarette smoke. It’s as harmful as smoking it yourself.

Inform yourself, protect yourself, and most of all, live a life free of cancer-causing smoke.

Our anti-tobacco educator, Martha Zúñiga, is available at our offices or you can e-mail her at martha@entrehermanos.org to start a new page in your life, free of the cost of cigarettes as a companion.