Happy New Year! This column is for everyone, whether you smoke or not, but for those who do currently smoke or vape and have resolved to quit this year, there is a lot of free support for you. Check out LGBTQ Minus Tobacco's "Quit Smoking/Vaping Tips & Resources" page for a variety of options that have proved to increase success rates. One fabulous program is a free online eight-session quit smoking series from the City of Berkeley, available to all Bay Area residents. The next series starts January 9 and ends February 20. Registration closes on January 23. Those who complete the series are eligible for a $25 gift card.
Outdoor areas of bars in Oakland are also quitting smoking/vaping this year. As of January 2, bar patios, parklets, and semi-enclosed rooms where smoking was previously allowed are required to be smoke and vape-free because of an ordinance adopted by the city last month. This will not only protect the health of workers who will no longer have to breathe toxic air during their shifts but will protect customers, help motivate the 70% of smokers who want to quit to take the plunge, and inspire customers who have gone to these bars less often because of the smoky patios to come out more and enjoy the fresh air.
This last statement is based on surveys we've conducted with random attendees at Oakland Pride and other events who told us they go to Oakland bars with patios and would go more often or at least as often if the outdoor paid areas were smoke-free. Nearly twice as many (29%) would go more often than would go less often or not at all (11%). It is also based on all the research evidence, which overwhelmingly shows that smoke-free laws have a positive or neutral impact on bar sales or employment.
San Francisco could follow Oakland's example. We surveyed 282 random attendees at San Francisco Pride, the Castro Street Fair, and the Bearrison Street Fair who told us they go to San Francisco queer bars with patios. A whopping 45% told us they would go more often to these bars if the patios were smoke- and vape-free. Only 8% said they would go less often.
Many people told us why smoke-free patios were important to them. One said, "I stopped smoking in 2006. ... What really got me was the bars in San Francisco that have patios. You're surrounded by people who smoke cigarettes and other products and you're like, trying to enjoy yourself and you're getting triggered left and right, so you leave the bar."
Another said, "I quit smoking years ago, and I love the patios and the outdoors, but I really think I'd be there more if they were smoke-free."
Many people told us that health issues keep them away from bar patios. One said, "Smoke-free bar patios would be really helpful because I have asthma, and I want places where I can breathe freely and enjoy my time."
Another shared this powerful story, "I really feel at home going to my neighborhood queer bar, which I call my community center, but I don't like the smoke. I'm immunocompromised and I have trouble deciding between unhealthy air or the friendships I've created. I don't want to jeopardize my own health."
Stories like these remind us of how important queer bars are to our community, not just as places to get away from homo/bi/transphobia, but also as spaces where we feel at home and find a sense of belonging. Every area of these important spaces needs to be safe and welcoming for every LGBTQ+ person, but they cannot be safe if smoking and vaping are allowed. Smoke-free patios can be welcoming to everyone, including people who have yet to break free from smoking or vaping, since they can take smoke breaks at the sidewalk curb and come back to join the party.
LGBTQ+ folks smoke/vape significantly more than other people. This is due to tobacco industry targeting of us and stress caused by the continued discrimination that we face.
Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death, killing 480,000 people in the U.S. every year. This fact gets less attention than it deserves, both in the LGBTQ+ community and among society as a whole since tobacco is legal and has been around forever. Yet so many people have told me about close family members and friends whose lives were tragically cut short because they couldn't stop smoking.
There is an aching hole of loss that so many people feel. While I am fortunate not to have lost anyone to tobacco, I did lose a brother to AIDS. He was 40 when he died. I know that many who are reading this have suffered similar losses and know what I'm feeling as I share these thoughts. Imagine how many people are connected to those 480,000 people who die from tobacco each year in this country.
Tobacco product use (including vaping) is an epidemic in our community and beyond. Whatever small thing each of us can do to save even one of those lives matters to someone somewhere.
To find out more, visit us at www.lgbtqminustobacco.org.
Brian Davis, a gay man, has worked for over 17 years on reducing the impact of tobacco on LGBTQ+ lives. He is currently the project director of LGBTQ Minus Tobacco.
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