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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 5, 2002)
aprii 5.2002 • J u s t o u t , 9 f7TîïïT7TT7Rilnetus s sexual minorities continue to address the A ID S crisis and other serious health issues, another silent killer persistently has been stalking the commu nity. Tobacco use kills 400,000 people in the United States every year, and gay men and lesbians smoke significantly more than the general population. Although no hard data are available, several recent studies have found queers smoke more than their straight counterparts. In fact, research conducted by Ronald Stall of University of C al ifornia at San Francisco revealed 41.5 percent of gay met\ in Portland and Tucson, Ariz., smoked compared to 22 percent of heterosexual men. A s for lesbians, 21 percent smoked com pared to 16 percent of women overall, accord ing to a 1991 study by University of Califor nia at Los Angeles. Because smoking is the single most important high-risk behavior associated with leading chronic diseases, these high rates should he of great concern to the sexual minorities community. To generate awareness of this health threat, the Oregon Department of Human Services Tobacco Prevention and Education Program will he a leading sponsor of the ninth annual Oregonians Against Discrimination Luncheon on April 10 at the Hilton Hotel. The event raises money for Basic Rights Oregon, a non profit organization dedicated to ending dis crimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Stall suggests one reason for higher gay smoking rates is marketing. Like the alcohol industry, tobacco manufacturers understand how to target disenfranchised segments of the population. According to Stall, they conduct a S ilent K iller Tobacco marketing targets sexual minorities community by Mary Boehme deliberate and well-funded campaign to seduce the gay community to take up and continue this deadly addiction. And there is evidence to prove it. In the past few years, several thousand industry documents have been released as part of the massive, nationwide litigation against the tobacco com panies. According to some of this paperwork, Philip Morris spent time researching gay male smokers in San Francisco during the mid-1990s. Joel P. Engardio of San Francisco Weekly said the study even went so far as to “out" the Marlboro Man, saying he is “the ultimate stud...orally fix ated...and maybe a great one-nighter.” “In a society where male homosexuality is often interpreted to mean nonmasculinity, Marlboro is particularly appreciated as a cue to manhtxxl,” he reported. “Marlboro’s success in this context depends wholly on the relevance of this cowboy image to the world (fantasy and real) of these gay consumers.” Stall is appalled by the use of the Marlboro Man to target gay men. “The ads are selling masculinity. It’s a real setup for kids who feel marginalized and unsafe as gay adolescents. Here are these products marketed to prove your heterosexuality— ‘You can be the Marl boro M an!’ ” Rut Philip Morris is not the only tobacco company allegedly targeting the sexual minorities community. The Amer ican Lung A ssociation also found in released docu ments that R.J. Reynolds creat ed a campaign focused on queers in San Francisco during the 1990s. The company called the research “Project SC U M ”— or “Subculture Urban Marketing." R.J. Reynolds wanted to focus on gay smok ing habits in the Castro district to improve the presence of its Red Kamel brand. Beyond the fact that this research was targeting them, the project’s name was offensive to queers in San Francisco. “This is a reminder that, gay or straight, black or white, we are all victims of the tobacco industry,” said Bob Gordon, C oali tion of Lavender Americans on Smoking and Health vice president. “We all suffer because of their greed.” And the tobacco industry is making its pres ence known in other ways as well. For years, companies have been sponsoring sexual mi nority events and causes. According to a 1997 study by E.L. Brucker of the King County Health Department in Wash ington, Philip Morris donated several hundred thou sand dollars to A ID S-related charities and other queer groups during the 1990s. Ironically, by accepting tobacco support, gay community leaders, organizers, professionals and advocates are helping enable an industry that is the lead ing cause of the very health problems they are trying to solve. “Obviously, the G L B T community is a pop ulation targeted by the tobacco industry,” said Mel Kohn, Oregon Department of Human Services epidemiologist. “Reaching them with tobacco use prevention information is a top pri ority for the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program." j n To quit the tobacco habit, call the toll-free O REG O N Q u it L in e at 877-270-STOP or, in Spanish, 877-2-NO FUM E. 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