I’m very proud that I was instrumental in getting this free full-page ad for LGBTQMinusTobacco.org in the Lazybear Brochure this year! Thank you to the Lazybear Fund for showing there are those of us who care about this important aspect of gay men’s health in addition to all of the good fundraising it has done for AIDS/HIV research, their commitment to sober spaces at these events and also a mention of how important it is to respect everyone’s right to clean air from vapes and cigarettes when at events like this. Looking at Sonoma County’s unincorporated area smoking ordinances, there is definitely not enough adherence to the rights delineated for non-smokers in bar patios or resorts. There should be more responsibility taken by the business owners to ensure fresh air for all patrons.

Below is the ad I am holding above, which I’m so proud to have been involved with getting published in the Lazy Bear Week brochure. It’s a real quote from a real San Francisco bartender. Obviously, we opted to pick the most bear-ish ad for our audience out of many that LGBTQMinusTobacco.org has. For decades all aspects of the queer community have been specifically targeted by the insidious marketing tactics of Big Tobacco, so exposing this by fighting back with the diversity of the community that falls under the alphabet is helpful. Indeed, I was lucky and glad we had this on hand for the brochure when we had a tight deadline to reach to make the press. The gracious offer to include this gratis by the Lazy Bear Fund (a non-profit that has raised tens of millions of dollars over the decades for gay men’s health issues like HIV/AIDS) was in response to my email letter inquiry into the smoking culture that has unfortunately been integral even in crowded spaces at the event I’ve attended now for 17 years. To my pleasant surprise, they responded beautifully with this magnanimous offer. The brochure goes out to thousands of men who attend Lazy Bear Week, many of whom live or at least visit the San Francisco Bay Area regularly.