Philadelphia, PA, June 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Pride Month comes to a close, Pennsylvania remains a leader in going smoke-free at its Pride Festivals. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults use tobacco products at a rate of 2.5 times higher than straight adults, according to the Center for Disease Control – making tobacco use one of the greatest health challenges for the LGBT community. Smoking remains the leading cause of death in the United States and while rates have been decreasing on average they have not declined for some groups such as racial minorities or the LGBT community.
However, LGBT leaders and health advocates are taking a stand to combat the well-documented marketing efforts of Big Tobacco by supporting efforts to transform Pride Festivals into smoke-free spaces. “The LGBT community has a tradition of being our own healthcare advocates, and ensuring that our pride celebrations are smoke-free is an important thing we can do to protect our community from the harms of second-hand smoke. LGBT people deserve to live proudly and live longer, and we deserve smoke-free spaces for our community,” said Adrian Shanker, Executive Director of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center.
Yet, not all Pride Festivals are smoke-free; some have no restrictions on tobacco use while others have designated areas. However, ALL Pride Festivals in Southeastern Pennsylvania are smoke-free, an ambitious undertaking that didn’t happen overnight; as Shanker states, “we educated, organized, and rallied our community to understand the importance and benefit to be smoke-free at Pride events.”
While going smoke-free at Pride festivals is an important part of the plan to support the smoking cessation needs of the LGBT community, there is still work to do to continue to reduce the shame that many people feel when trying to quit. “Our purpose in supporting these efforts is to be supportive through the process and approach smoking cessation from a positive framework that reflects how transformative going smoke-free can be,” said Jamie Magee, Director, Tobacco Prevention and Control Services of the Health Promotion Council. As Pride Month comes to a close, Magee exclaims that “we are taking pride in helping all of our community to live proud and longer lives.”
About the Health Promotion Council/Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project
Health Promotion Council, an affiliate of the Public Health Management Corporation, addresses chronic disease prevention and management through direct service, capacity-building, and policy- and systems-change initiatives. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Tobacco Control Project (SEPA TCP) is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and is operated by the Health Promotion Council, an affiliate of Public Health Management Corporation. SEPA TCP provides technical assistance/training in areas of advocacy, community engagement, and clinical integration of tobacco treatment services. It also provides fiscal oversight and management of regional tobacco funds.
About the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is located in Allentown, PA. It creates a vibrant LGBT community in the Lehigh Valley through exciting LGBT arts & culture programs, leading-edge LGBT health programs, daily LGBT youth programs, critical supportive services and an informative Training Institute.
About the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center of Central PA
The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center of Central PA is a volunteer-led effort to create a regionally representative community center that is both a location and a unifying point for central Pennsylvania's large, diverse, and multi-county LGBT population.
About the William Way Community Center
The William Way Community Center encourages, supports, and advocates for the well-being and acceptance of sexual and gender minorities in the Greater Philadelphia region through service, recreational, educational, and cultural programming.