ABOUT US
Our Vision
A world where all people are free from tobacco and other addictive substances.
Our Mission
LGBTQ Minus Tobacco works with LGBTQ+ and Allied community members in the Bay Area to prevent tobacco addiction and reduce secondhand smoke exposure.
Why We Do This Work
The tobacco industry deliberately targets LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and other marginalized communities using advertising, sponsorship, cheap flavored products and other methods to increase tobacco use rates. These manipulative strategies are especially effective among vulnerable youth who are dealing with issues of self-acceptance related to their sexual orientation, gender identity and racial identity in a society that treats them as inferior.
LGBTQ+ people use tobacco at high rates to cope with the stresses caused by discrimination. While the tobacco industry claims to be on the side of our community, they are one of the largest corporate funders of right-wing politicians who work against queer people’s struggle for equality and justice.
Tobacco is public health enemy number one. Tobacco use is an ongoing epidemic that kills 480,000 people in the U.S. every year. LGBTQ+ youth and adults use tobacco at significantly higher rates than others.
How We Do This Work
We work with concerned residents in Bay Area cities to inspire policy changes that will motivate LGBTQ+ youth and adults to choose healthier coping mechanisms to deal with the stress caused by discrimination.
We create innovative policy options used by local community members to bring about real and lasting change that protects vulnerable youth and adults.
We recruit teams of concerned LGBTQ+ and Allied people who live in the cities where we work. During regular meetings, we help them to develop tools to succeed when communicating with elected officials and other decisionmakers about policies that save lives.
We develop partnerships with local community organizations that share our progressive values and want to help protect local residents from tobacco industry targeting.
We educate queer and other vulnerable youth about how the tobacco industry manipulates them to become addicted to their deadly products.
Who We Are
Brian Davis (he/him)
Project Director
Brian Davis has been a community advocate for decades. From knocking on doors for progressive causes, to being an openly gay middle school teacher, to marching in the streets for marriage equality, to running LGBTQ+ community projects against Big Tobacco since 2008, Brian has demonstrated a passion for social justice. Brian loves riding his bicycle all over the Bay Area, wearing his “If You Must Smoke, Smoke Salmon” hat.
Amaya Wooding (she/her)
Project Coordinator
Amaya Wooding has been out and advocating for LGBTQ+ health since 2018, when she showed up at a school board meeting with alumni from her high school to push for inclusion in health curriculum. Now she raises awareness of how the tobacco industry exploits the vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups to trade our health for their profits. Find her talking to community members from San Jose to Solano County, wearing patterned button-ups, or maybe drinking boba.
Jimmy Ancira (he/him))
Community Health Outreach Worker
Jimmy is a Bay Area native who over the past 5 years has been enthusiastically spending his time working on various public health projects from the Bay Area to Africa. He is passionate about being able to provide his community with the knowledge they need to advocate for themselves. He also finds excitement in education, advocacy, and LGBTQ equity. On the weekends you can find Jimmy out with his partner, scouring Oakland for the latest and greatest eateries.