Gays and Smoking

Carol Schwartz, the lone Republican on the DC Council now that the GOP has ousted David Catania for daring to critize Bush, has been an ardent opponent of the bar and restaurant smoking ban. Even though this ban has proven popular in many US locations and in Europe, and has had a positive economic impact, Ms. Schwartz insists on being the mouthpiece of big tobacco. Her most outrageous outburst was criticizing gays for backing the ban.

The latest survey in the Advocate shows that gays are tired of smoke ruining their bars, the traditional meeting place in the gay community.

"The survey, called “LGBT Bars and Smoking Study,” shows that 86% of gay bar and restaurant owners say they've received complaints from patrons about too much smokiness. More than half of the business owners say their employees have complained about too much cigarette smoke. About 16% of bar and restaurant owners or managers reported having health conditions that are exacerbated by exposure to tobacco smoke, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, emphysema, and HIV, according to the survey." Smoking Survey

I'm glad I'm not the only one who is tired of stinking clothes, clogged sinuses and aggravated lung problems like asthma because I don't want to sit at home on a weekend night. Gays are not only forced to deal with smoke in their social outlets, but many gays find gay bars as a place of employment when they face discrimination elsewhere. Should lung cancer be a normal accepted risk for having a gay workplace?

To be fair, I have campaigned for Ms. Schwartz in the past and voted for her numerous times. She has contributed a lot to DC and would have made fine mayor. It is a pity that she is alienating her base by entrenching herself the wrong side of the argument on this one.