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Hi, I’m Skylar and I’m a proud member of the LGBT community. A couple years ago, I learned that my younger sister had begun vaping. Vaping pods with flavors and very high concentrations of nicotine. Of course, I worried about this newfound addiction, but she assured me that it was safer because she was vaping and not smoking. However, the huge amount of nicotine in the pods soon proved to be enough. Despite there being much more nicotine in vape products, she quickly moved to cigarettes as well. First, she was socially smoking and then she became pretty dependent on nicotine as a substance. My little sister is a professional singer and a really amazing vocalist and song-writer. I was terrified for her because of this thing that she stumbled into over the course of her nightlife as a student and as a young bisexual woman (which I later realized put her at twice as much risk as a heterosexual person for starting to vape). This product that she had become dependent on could take away the thing that she’s the most passionate about, and beyond that potentially take away her life. I was terrified, both at the idea of losing her too soon and at the idea of having to see her live without her voice, which is the most important thing to her. Thankfully, it took a year or two, but my little sister has since quit using all nicotine products, and I am so SO happy and hope that she won’t see any long-term effects. 

Frankly is intended for mature audiences as it includes explicit language and candid discussions about sexual behaviors and terms. Some content may be offensive to readers. It is our intention that Frankly be an affirming space where LGBTQ+ folks going through a challenging time in their lives can be their complete and authentic selves while discussing sexuality and sexual practices.

Hi, I’m Skylar and I’m a proud member of the LGBT community. A couple years ago, I learned that my younger sister had begun vaping. Vaping pods with flavors and very high concentrations of nicotine. Of course, I worried about this newfound addiction, but she assured me that it was safer because she was vaping and not smoking. However, the huge amount of nicotine in the pods soon proved to be enough. Despite there being much more nicotine in vape products, she quickly moved to cigarettes as well. First, she was socially smoking and then she became pretty dependent on nicotine as a substance. My little sister is a professional singer and a really amazing vocalist and song-writer. I was terrified for her because of this thing that she stumbled into over the course of her nightlife as a student and as a young bisexual woman (which I later realized put her at twice as much risk as a heterosexual person for starting to vape). This product that she had become dependent on could take away the thing that she’s the most passionate about, and beyond that potentially take away her life. I was terrified, both at the idea of losing her too soon and at the idea of having to see her live without her voice, which is the most important thing to her. Thankfully, it took a year or two, but my little sister has since quit using all nicotine products, and I am so SO happy and hope that she won’t see any long-term effects. 

Brain: Juul E-Cigarettes: Fueling A Youth Epidemic. (2018, April 6). Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/what-we-do/industry-watch/e-cigarettes

Lungs: Health Effects of Smoking | American Lung Association. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2021, from https://www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/smoking

Cancer:Smoking and Cancer | Overviews of Diseases/Conditions | Tips From Former Smokers | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/cancer.html

• - For more than 20 years, the tobacco industry has targeted the LGBT market through direct advertisements, sponsorships and promotional events. Source: TOBACCO USE IN LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER (LGBT) COMMUNITIES. (2021, March 29). Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0415.pdf
• - More than 36% of LGBT smokers report that they usually smoke menthols, which are easier to use and harder to quit. Source: Menthol Toolkit. (n.d.Tobwis https://tobwis.org/toolkits/menthol-toolkit/#heading-targeting-and-disparities
• - About 1 in 5 LGB adults smoke cigarettes. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/disparities/lgbt/index.htm
• - 35.5% of transgender adults report currently using cigarettes. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5478444/
• - About 16.7% of heterosexual/straight adults smoke. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/disparities/lgbt/index.htm

1. 1.Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time| American Cancer Society . (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
2. 2. Source: A timeline of benefits when you quit smoking. (2018, June 5). Quit Genius, https://www.quitgenius.com/blog/quit-smoking-timeline
3. 3.Source: A timeline of benefits when you quit smoking. (2018, June 5). Quit Genius, https://www.quitgenius.com/blog/quit-smoking-timeline
4. 4.In 2 weeks to 3 months, your breathing and circulation improve. Source: Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time| American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
5. 5.Within a month, you’ll notice your skin and nails look and feel healthier. Source: Here’s What Happens When You Quit Smoking. (2021, June 21). Quit & Stay Quit Monday, https://www.mondaycampaigns.org/quit-stay-quit/heres-happens-quit-smoking
6. 6.In 1 to 12 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease!  Source: Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time| American Cancer Society . (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
7. 7.Within 5 to 10 years of quitting, your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box (larynx) is cut in half. Your stroke risk decreases.Source: Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time| American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
8. 8.After 15 years of quitting, your risk of coronary heart disease is close to that of a non-smoker. Source: Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time| American Cancer Society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 23, 2021, from https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html

1. McCabe, S. E., Hughes, T. L., Matthews, A. K., Lee, J. G. L., West, B. T., Boyd, C. J., & Arslanian-Engoren, C. (2019). Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Tobacco Use Disparities in the United States. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 21(4), 523–531. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntx283
2. Read, U. M., Karamanos, A., João Silva, M., Molaodi, O. R., Enayat, Z. E., Cassidy, A., Cruickshank, J. K., & Harding, S. (2018). The influence of racism on cigarette smoking: Longitudinal study of young people in a British multiethnic cohort. PLOS ONE, 13(1), e0190496. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190496

By order of appearance:

Gentzke, A. S. (2020). Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2020. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6950a1

Kann L, Olsen EO, McManus T, Harris WA, Shanklin SL, Flint KH, Queen B, Lowry R, Chyen D, Whittle L, Thornton J, Lim C, Yamakawa Y, Brener N, Zaza S. Sexual Identity, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Students in Grades 9-12 - United States and Selected Sites, 2015. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2016;65(9):1-202. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.ss6509a1. PubMed PMID: 27513843.

Ambrose, B. K., Day, H. R., Rostron, B., Conway, K. P., Borek, N., Hyland, A., & Villanti, A. C. (2015). Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among US Youth Aged 12-17 Years, 2013-2014. JAMA, 314(17), 1871. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.13802

Gaiha SM, Cheng J, Halpern-Felsher B. Association Between Youth Smoking, Electronic Cigarette Use, and COVID-19. J Adolesc Health. 2020;67(4):519-523. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.002

National LGBT Cancer Network LGBTQ+ Tobacco Impact Model. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2021, from https://cancer-network.org/resources/lgbtq-tobacco-impact-model/

Tamí-Maury I, Sharma A, Chen M, et al. Comparing smoking behavior between female-to-male and male-to-female transgender adults. Tobacco Prevention & Cessation. 2020;6(January):2. doi:10.18332/tpc/114513.

Menthol and Cigarettes | Smoking & Tobacco Use | CDC. (2020, November 20). https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/tobacco_industry/menthol-cigarettes/index.html

Quotes

Glissmeyer, G., Henry, L., Kintopf, A., & Brock, B. (2018). Glitter, Smoke, and Mirrors. In W. Swan (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of LGBTQIA Administration and Policy (1st ed., pp. 144–155). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351258807-11

Images

Kastrenakes, J. (2015, February 5). E-cigarette vapor damages the immune system of mice, study
finds. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2015/2/5/7988047/ecig-vapor-damages-immune-system-mice

kaaphen. (n.d.). Silence=Death-Project [Billet]. NOMOI. Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://nomoi.hypotheses.org/198

Boycott Marlboro. (2016, February 29). International Center of Photography.
https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/boycott-marlboro

1990’s. (n.d.). Erasure Virtual Bible. Retrieved February 8, 2021, from https://erasurebible.wordpress.com/tag/1990s/

DeCourcey, D. (1484358457). These Cigarette Ads Expose a Scary Trend Within the LGBT Community. ATTN: archive.attn.com

Coming Down on Tobacco (Published 2009). (2009, January 5).
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/business/06smoke.html

Chanel West Coast and Swisher Sweets Artist Project invite you to LA events July 28-29. (n.d.). Wortman Works. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://www.wortmanworks.com/news-updates/chanel-west-coast-and-swisher-sweets-artist-project-invite-you-to-la-events-july-28-29

Kingdom, T. C. U. (n.d.). Blu eCigs Electronics—"Drag Queen". Retrieved February 18, 2021, from
https://www.adforum.com/creative-work/ad/player/34523631/drag-queen/blu-ecigs-electronics

Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2021, from
http://tobacco.stanford.edu/tobacco_main/images_ecigs.php?token2=fm_ecigs_st587.php&token1=fm_ecigs_img28774.php&theme_file=fm_ecigs_mt062.php&theme_name=Special%20Populations&subtheme_name=LGBT

Search Vintage Ad Browser. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2021, from
http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/search?q=marlboro&page=12

Tabacco | Drugs Advertisements Debunk. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2021, from https://wp.wwu.edu/hled151/2017/10/26/tabacco/

Virginia Slims [1990-1994] Cigarette Adverts. (2017, March 20). Retro Musings.
https://www.ghostofthedoll.co.uk/retromusings/virginia-slims-cigarette-adverts-1990-1994/

Blucigsusa (@blucigs) / Twitter. (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved February 18, 2021, from https://twitter.com/blucigs