Jan 07, 2005  |  By: JOE CREA  | COMMENTS     

Gay party promoter and nightlife advocate Mark Lee is criticizing a new Mautner Project initiative that encourages local businesses to promote non-smoking awareness in D.C.

The new outreach and educational effort, “Delicious Lesbian Kisses,” includes a “Kiss Team” that ventures into various establishments — with management approval — and plasters the place with posters and postcards. The team then distributes free literature about quitting smoking.

A promotional e-mail seeking volunteers for the Kiss Team markets the venture as a “team of passionate, committed and often radical health activists” who target businesses with “sometimes guerilla” tactics.

The money used to fund the campaign comes from a three-year, $500,000 grant from the American Legacy Foundation. Kathleen DeBold, Mautner’s executive director, says the initiative has been tested in various establishments, including Lambda Rising, the Leather Rack, Politics & Prose and Annie’s Paramount Steak House.

The Mautner Project is a national lesbian health organization.

Guerilla tactics?
In an e-mail dated Dec. 30 that Lee wrote to DeBold, “I cannot believe that the Mautner Project would publicly announce that the organization is planning to engage in not only illegal, but also ill-advised, self-proclaimed ‘guerilla’ activities at private business venues which involve ‘plaster[ing] with posters and postcards’!

“Has everyone at your organization lost their minds or are you just giddy from the half-a-million-dollar grant you received from the American Legacy Foundation?”

DeBold protests that the campaign is upbeat, positive, entirely legal and adopted primarily because other anti-smoking campaigns are “judgmental” she said.

DeBold said that the public has responded positively to the campaign and she sees no need to suspend it.

“This is more a, ‘Hey, you want to quit? You can,’ message,” DeBold said. “The project is about stealth health activities to engage young lesbians in health issues.”

Lee said he is surprised that a special interest group such as Mautner is targeting businesses through stealth means.

“I find it startling that sort of announcement can be made when I think this issue deserves more sane and rational dialogue,” said Lee, who operates the Lizard Lounge event each Sunday night.

“It’s unfortunate that they’ve taken it so quickly to an all or nothing, evil and good level. It’s not about under what circumstances that is being done. It’s just startling that the tenor of the organization has gotten so unforgiving. What’s driving this sudden announcement that the war is on? Is it public health policy or a half a million-dollar grant? What’s talking here?”

Lee, himself a smoker, remains firmly opposed to a smoking ban in D.C., and said he believes it should be left to each individual business owner to determine if smoking will be allowed. He said in his experience patrons in D.C. bars are not complaining about smoking, so he and other businesses must operate under the market’s demands.

“We are in the business of accommodating people, offering Southern hospitality and charm to our guests,” Lee said. “If we don’t do what the market wants, we go out of business. We are grateful for the success we have, and our business has never been better.”

Smoking ban stalled
A smoking ban for D.C. has been stalled in Council. Carol Schwartz (R-At-large), also a smoker, opposes a smoking ban and has chaired the committee that has considered it, so it is unlikely to be voted on by the entire Council so long as she is in charge.

But a new poll released this week shows that three out of four likely D.C. voters favor passage of a citywide law that would ban smoking in all indoor workplaces, including restaurants and bars.

According to the results, 61 percent strongly favor such a ban.

The poll was commissioned by the American Cancer Society Action Network and conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates.

Mike Perry, a partner at the firm that conducted the poll, said that an overwhelming majority of likely voters — 82 to 7 percent — said that the right of customers and employees to breathe clean air outweighs the rights of smokers inside restaurants and bars. Even a majority of smokers agreed.

Additionally, 16 percent of likely voters would be more inclined to go to restaurants if they were smoke free, while 24 percent said they were more likely to go to bars if they ...