Project SCUM was a plan proposed in 1995 by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) to sell cigarettes to members of the "

alternative lifestyle An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle perceived to be outside the norm for a given culture. The phrase "alternative lifestyle" is often used pejoratively. Description of a related set of activities as alternative is a defining aspect of certain ...

" areas of San Francisco, in particular the large number of

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

people in the

Castro Castro is a Romance language word that originally derived from Latin ''castrum'', a pre-Roman military camp or fortification (cf: Greek: ''kastron''; Proto-Celtic:''*Kassrik;'' br, kaer, *kastro). The English-language equivalent is '' chester''. ...

and homeless people in the Tenderloin. The acronym "SCUM" officially stood for "subculture urban marketing". Perhaps recognizing the offensive nature of its label, the marketing plan was later renamed Project Sourdough.

Project

An anti-smoking campaign called

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...

targeted R. J. Reynolds for Project SCUM, arguing that it not only showed the usual exploitative tobacco marketing techniques but added to them an explicit contempt or even hatred for the people it was trying to market its products to. ''

SF Weekly ''SF Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper has won national journalism awards, ...

'' reported:

"This is a hate crime, plain and simple," said
Kathleen DeBold Kathleen Joan DeBold (November 16, 1955 – October 9, 2022) was an LGBT activist and advocate. The ''Washington Blade'' named her "Most Committed Female Activist" (2001) as well as a "Local Hero" (2005). In 2015, DeBold was named a Community Pion ...
, director of the Washington, D.C.-based
Mautner Project The Mautner Project is a national organization in the United States dedicated to improving the health of lesbians and other women who partner with women (WPW). It was founded in 1990 and it is based in Washington, D.C. It provides direct services, ...
for Lesbians With Cancer. "What else do you call it when a group thinks of gays and lesbians as 'scum', and then targets us with something that kills?"

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, who represents the Tenderloin District, is equally upset. "It's racist, it's classist, it's oppressive. And it is really disheartening to hear. But I can't say that I am surprised. Low-income communities and people of color have always been derided and taken advantage of. Obviously, the tobacco companies feel like they can make money off other people's misery."San Francisco – News – Smoking Gun
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Project SCUM documents came to light after a court order forced R. J. Reynolds to hand them over during the State of California's litigation against tobacco companies. R. J. Reynolds's marketing in the 1990s of its Camel and Winston cigarette brands drew the attention of attorneys representing California cities and counties. Project SCUM highlighted how tobacco companies in the 1990s were targeting young adults to be lifetime smokers.Multi-State Tobacco Litigation - www.lieffcabraser.com
Revelations about Project SCUM were among the mountains of evidence ensuring that anti-tobacco litigation would continue. In 1998, a resolution of the litigation came about in the

Master Settlement Agreement The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was entered on November 23, 1998, originally between the four largest United States tobacco companies ( Philip Morris Inc., R. J. Reynolds, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard – the "original participati ...

between more than 40 state attorneys general and the tobacco industry.

References

External links

*
American Legacy Foundation's statement on Project SCUM

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's statement on Project SCUM
{{Reynolds American Class discrimination Types of marketing Tobacco advertising 1995 in LGBT history LGBT history in San Francisco LGBT and the economy Smoking in the United States Homelessness in the United States R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Social classes 1995 in San Francisco

Project

See also

References

External links