FEATURE
People who identify as LGBTQ are almost two-and-a-half times
more likely to smoke than the rest of the population, thanks in part
to decades of advertising by the tobacco industry.
Big Tobacco began advertising in the ‘gay press’ in the 1990s. Brands
such as Camel and Lucky Strike adopted words like ‘pride’ and
‘choice’ to promote their cigarettes.
One notable example of this was a 2005 advert for American Spirit
which read:
“Freedom. To speak. To choose. To marry. To participate. To be.
To disagree. To inhale. To believe. To love. To live. It’s all good”
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Pride events have historically been flooded with free cigarettes
and tobacco industry merchandise. But despite contributing to local
and national LGBTQ organisations and painting themselves as
champions of diversity, behind the scenes the tobacco industry
has been accused of demonstrating views that strongly contrast
with that image.
Socrush.com have reported that cigarette companies provide two
to three times more support for politicians opposed to gay rights
than those for them.