Vapouround magazine Issue 14 | Page 86

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” 84 | VM14 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.