Why create a special project just for the LGBT community? Because our community has been specifically targeted by the tobacco companies since 1992 when the first cigarette ad appeared in a gay men’s publication. They have created specially designed ads for our community, which appeal at a minimum to our need to belong, quest for freedom, and sexual desires. One example is an ad which equated the “freedom to marry” with the “freedom to inhale.”

Tobacco companies have also given sponsorship money to LGBT organizations in an attempt to gain recognition as a “friend” to our community, to silence any concerns that might be raised about the unusually high level of smoking among gays, lesbians, transgender community members and queer youth (see below), and to draw attention away from Big Tobacco’s targeting of LGBT people. For example, the LGBT media watchdog group, GLAAD, at one time accepted tobacco sponsorship funding. One year they had a “smoking lounge” at their event sponsored by a specific cigarette brand while at the same time GLAAD failed to speak out about the onslaught of cigarette ads directed at LGBT consumers.

Why do tobacco companies spend their money specifically targeting our community? They know that we have been and continue to be discriminated against by society, and therefore are more vulnerable. Statistics show that segments of society that have faced discrimination tend to smoke more. By targeting us, individual tobacco companies reinforce the messaging that feeds into our vulnerability.

In California:

• Men in the LGBT community smoke about 50% more than all men (27.4% vs. 19.1%).
• Women in our community smoke nearly three times as much as all women (32.5% vs. 11.9%).
• Transgender members of our community smoke twice as much as all Californians (30.7% vs. 15.4%).
• LGBT young adults 18-24 years old smoke over two and a half times as much as all young adults (43.7% vs. 16.6%).