Campaign Wants LGBT Women of Color to “Take Pride” & Leave Cigs Behind
Studies suggest that people who are both lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) and members of a racial or ethnic minority often face the highest level of health disparities. Despite this reality, few health campaigns (beyond HIV/AIDS initiatives that almost exclusively cater to black gay men) directly target queer people of color (POC). There are even fewer that are aimed at LGBT POC women. A new campaign out of Chicago is changing that.
In response to high smoking rates among LGBTQ individuals and African American adults in the Midwest, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has launched Take Pride, an antismoking campaign, specifically targeting young LGBTQ women of color in Chicago. Take Pride raises awareness about the negative health effects of smoking and motivates LGBTQ women of color to stop smoking. The ads feature positive images of young LGBTQ women of color in a healthy relationship, free of tobacco use.
LGBTQ individuals are reportedly more likely to smoke than heterosexuals (34% to 24%), and more likely to smoke more than one pack a day (47% vs. 36%). (Factors driving LGBT disparities in tobacco use include stress due to social stigma and discrimination, peer pressure, aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry and limited access to effective tobacco treatment.) The Midwest has the highest prevalence of smoking in the United States and one in four adults smoke regularly in Chicago. 19.4% of African American adults are current smokers—slightly higher than the national smoking rate (19.0%).
“Queer women of color are part of not one, but several different populations that demonstrate higher smoking rates or lower quit rates or disproportionate cancer related deaths. The numbers scream a need for us to stem this rising tide,” says Quenjana Adams, Public Information Coordinator at CDPH.
Take Pride highlights several CDPH anti-smoking resources, including the Illinois Tobacco Quitline and classes to help people quit or prevent young people from smoking.
“We are proud to feature one of the first advertisements that portray queer women of color that are beautiful, healthy and smoke free. For young women who rarely get to look up and see themselves in an ad, we know this will be very powerful,” Adams adds.
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