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RU1? Wants You To Quit Smoking
RU12? Wants YOU to Quit Smoking
Burlington's R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center has received an $20,000 grant to work on helping LGBTQ tobacco users to quit or non-users not begin a relationship with the addictive product.
According to Center Director Christopher Kaufman, the grant grew out of collaborative work in 2001 on an anti-tobacco video, called "Fresh Attitudes." Moira Cook, the state's chief Tobacco Control Chief, remembered that work and wrote in the money for R.U.1.2? as a community partner in addressing at-risk and marginalized
populations.
"LGBT subpopulations are a priority for the CDC right now," Kaufman said - at least when it comes to combating the negative health effects of tobacco use. He credited the National Association of LGBT Community Centers with educating the CDC on the higher risk of becoming addicted to tobacco faced by lgbt teens and adults through data gathering and documentation of the need.
The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) has had "a low-level anti-tobacco collaboration" with R.U.1.2? for some time now. "VDH supported our Pride booth and provided a number of items for us to distribute," Kaufman said, including bright pink water bottles and anti-smoking playing card packs.
The Center plans to integrate 'tobacco cessation' information into its existing M4M.net health program on the Internet - which solely addresses men – and the Vermont Diversity Health Project, publishers of the lgbt-friendly guide to practitioners, Our Bodies, Our Minds. Under the Diversity Health Project, the program would distribute lgbt-oriented anti-tobacco information to doctors and clinics and make copies of the "Fresh Attitudes" video available.
"We can use the tobacco information as a hook to introduce our lgbtq cultural competency services to more practitioners," Kaufman explained. "We'll be following up the tobacco information with calls offering training. All healthcare practitioners are concerned about smoking."
One of the resources the Center is using is a booklet called "Out and Free," copyrighted in 1995. It draws analogies between the strength needed for and the phases of both coming out as lesbian, gay or transgender and quitting smoking. Attempts to view the website associated with the program brought only error messages, suggesting that the online support is no longer available. Kaufman said the booklet is being updated.
Potential resources are listed on the NALGBTCC website, www.lgbtcenters.org