INTRO
Gay City Health Project offers free quit kits for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender smokers, featuring Out To Quit: your friendly guide to quitting smoking, and four other helpful booklets. Call 206.860.6969, e-mail info@gaycity.org, or visit our office for yours today. Right now, scroll down for a peek at the online version of Out To Quit. Also take a look at our Out To Quit posters by clicking the thumbnails. It takes most smokers about 7 tries to finally quit, so keep trying!

PLEASURE
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people smoke for lots of good reasons: pleasure, extra energy, relaxation, as a personal ritual or an easy way to meet new people. You deserve all the good things that smoking can provide! We haven’t come this far as a community to give up pleasure. You also deserve greater pleasures, sources of energy and more powerful personal rituals. Once you decide to quit smoking, your challenge is to create a life of excitement, pleasure, passion, balance, love and respect without cigarettes.

ENERGY
LGBTs smoke more than the general population. Many of us started smoking as closeted teens, with our first girl or boyfriend, or when we first hit the bars. Tobacco ads use themes that matter to us like independence, personal choice and sexual possibility. Stopping advertising would not stop us from smoking because we do make our own choices. Most LGBT smokers know about the health risks of smoking and well over half of LGBT smokers want to quit. Quitting smoking means turning your energy into action.

ACTION
Quitting smoking is a way to take a personal stand for yourself and your community, and take control of your health and your body. Smoking is a personal choice, but it should be one you’re free to make either way. So if all or part of you wants to quit, or you’re just not sure, it’s worth reaching out to the resources in this guide. If there are other issues you want to focus on first, keep smoking and get support for what’s most important to you right now. Maybe later on, you’ll decide to quit. In the meantime, you can smoke less, or spend some time thinking about why you smoke and what makes you tick.

FREEDOM
Smokers are often stigmatized in the same ways LGBTs are: labeled as victims, dirty, and an inconvenience to non-smokers. We deserve freedom from stigma for being LGBT and for smoking. Shame just brings us all down. Smokers should be treated with respect, empathy and support. Anything less is not okay.

RELEASE
20 leathermen are coming over for an orgy and you’re out of hors d’oeuvres! Your homophobic parents keep pressuring you to date men, but you’re in love with a plumber named Irene! You can’t afford sex reassignment surgery on a retail clerk’s salary! Being LGBT is not easy. Stresses we face include homophobia, racism, sexism, growing older, family pressures, looking for love and earning a living. Quitting smoking means finding other ways to release stress. Luckily, there are plenty.

DESIRE
Can cigarettes make us more desirable, mysterious or dangerous? Do we need cigarettes to look butch or femme? Our favorite army boots, jock strap or black lace bra can do all that. Are we all about products anyway? Advertisers are selling us everything from the right khaki pants to the right sneakers. But LGBTs are about way more than accessories and appearance. Your challenge is to find other ways to project who you are and attract who you want to attract.

TRANSFORMATION
What’s the worst thing that can happen if you quit smoking? Behind your fears are real issues that it’s good to be concerned about - issues about your identity, social life and emotions. Transforming our fears into personal action will make us stronger as individuals and as a community.

Queer Fear #1: I’ll lose all my friends!
If your social life is connected to the bar scene, will quitting mean you won’t be able to hang out with your buddies the same? Many of us grew up socially isolated because we were different. Just when we find friends we feel comfortable with, we worry we’ll lose them. But your friendships are based on a lot more than smoking. There are so many other things you have in common that won’t change when you quit. Tell your friends you’re quitting so you can see where you stand. You deserve the support of your friends and community with any positive change you want to make in your life.

Queer Fear #2: I won’t know what to do with myself!
What are you going to do with your hands after you quit? What if you become more emotional? You may miss the ritual of smoking and experience a rush of new, intense feelings. Maybe you’ll hug your friends more, chain chew Bazooka Joe or buy the entire Joan Rivers jewelry collection. Your challenge is to listen to your own needs and find ways to express yourself. You can keep a journal, play pool, become a drag king or queen, go dancing or sulk like a gothic teenager. If none of that works, try renting Debbie Does Veronica or How the West was Hung. There’s always one thing you can do with your hands that’s free and fun.

Queer Fear #3: I won’t have a way to meet new people!
Do you ask a guy for a light as a way to meet him? Do you bum cigs from sexpot femmes? Quitting smoking won’t change your ability to go up and talk to someone new. But you will need to get more creative. Thankfully, there are a million opening lines besides “Got a light?” such as:
“Haven’t I seen you in the steam room at the Y?”
“Your Hello Kitty vibrator or mine?”
“Weren’t you in my Girl Scout troupe back in 1982?”
If you meet people smoking outside a club or office building, you still can. Lots of people go outside to get some fresh air, peace and quiet, or to cruise bike messengers. Everyone needs a break from their cubicle or a crowded dance floor. You won’t be alone. As a backup, you can still carry a lighter so if someone cute asks you for a light, you’ll be ready.

Queer Fear #4: I’ve tried to quit before but I just end up starting again. What am I doing wrong?
Nothing! It’s tough to quit so never blame yourself. A few people do quit on their first try, but it takes most smokers 6 to 9 tries to finally quit. Stopping and starting again is how people learn to quit, just like riding a bike. Every attempt to quit is a positive step because it gives you a new level of understanding about yourself and cigarettes. So keep trying!

Queer Fear #5: What if I go to a quit smoking program and the people are prejudiced and don’t understand me?
LGBTs are not always treated perfectly in healthcare. That’s why the resources in this guide have been screened as LGBT friendly. It’s still your responsibility to be your own advocate, ask questions, and keep asking until you get the answers you need. Getting the help you need won’t be hard, once you make that first call.

MOTION
How you quit smoking will reflect your individuality. Some options are: smoking less until you stop, nicotine replacement therapy like the patch or gum, herbs, acupuncture, and medications. Hooking up with a quit buddy can also help, just like a workout buddy. These local resources offer a variety of cessation programs. You can find the one that’s best for you and put your plan to quit into motion!