Tobacco Companies Aggressively Market to LGBTQ Community

Tobacco companies are aggressively marketing to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) community, by positioning themselves as allies to the gay rights movement, according to Slate.

A recent government report found smoking prevalence among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the United States was 26.6 percent in 2013, compared with 17.6 percent among heterosexual/straight individuals.

In the past, researchers have said LGBTQ individuals have higher smoking rates for reasons including the daily stress of coping with prejudice and stigma. Strategic marketing by tobacco companies also account for the higher smoking rates, the article notes.

Confidential documents leaked in 2000 from R.J. Reynolds, which makes Camel, Pall Mall and several other cigarette brands, described plans for an ad campaign targeting young gay men and the homeless in San Francisco. The company has publicly supported the LGBTQ community. A 2011 Camel Snus ad called on the community to “take pride in your flavor.”

Lucky Strike placed several ads in the 2001 program for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards. Some tobacco ads have used the language of freedom and choice favored by LGBTQ rights activists, such as “freedom to choose” and “freedom to inhale.”

In 2013, Los Angeles unveiled a health campaign aimed at reducing smoking among gays, lesbians and bisexuals. The “Break Up With Tobacco Campaign” featured a group of young men called the Break Up Squad, who spread the anti-smoking message on social media outlets and at nightclubs and gyms.