Gay smoker

These environments can encourage higher rates of drinking alcohol (also linked to cancer) and smoking.

Advertising

Tobacco companies have long targeted advertisements to the LGBTQ+ community. All of these stressors can lead to people taking up smoking. Be that friend and encourage the people in your life to get the screenings they need.

Finally, if you’re seeing predatory practices from the tobacco industry, call them out by calling your representatives, posting on social media or getting involved with anti-tobacco advocacy groups.

Data from 2021 show that 14.2% of LGB youth used tobacco, compared to 7.9% of hetereosexual youth.

LGB youth are also more likely to use multiple tobacco products, or report more frequent use. Out of current smokers, 54% of lesbian or gay and 49% of bisexual smokers used menthol cigarettes, compared to 42% of heterosexual smokers.

Tobacco use trends among transgender and gender diverse adults

Transgender and gender nonconforming adults were also about 2X to 3X more likely to report tobacco use compared to cisgender adults.
Only 19.2% of cisgender adults reported currently using cigarettes compared to 43% of transgender and gender nonconforming adults.

Tobacco Marketing in the LGBTQ+ Community

Targeted marketing of tobacco products to the LGBTQ+ community began as early as the 1990s, when tobacco companies – aware of high smoking rates among sexual minorities – aimed to take advantage of the emerging LGBTQ+ market.

Tobacco companies used many methods to target the LGBTQ+ community, including advertising in gay press publications, depicting tobacco use as a normal part of LGBTQ+ life, using corporate philanthropy as evidence of its support of the LGBTQ+ community, participating in giveaways, increasing advertising, and hosting community outreach efforts (e.g.

Smoking prevalence is 38%-59% for LGBTQ+ youth, compared to 28%-35% for the general youth population, according to the American Lung Association.²

Why is this population smoking more? Whether it’s counseling, stop-smoking medications or alternative nicotine products, most approaches are more effective than quitting unsupported (i.e.

Although smoking only provides superficial relief from stress (and nicotine withdrawal actually makes it worse), it can seem like a useful ally when you’re facing stigma and rejection. Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Tobacco Use Disparities in the United States. Action must be taken at the federal, state and local levels to help reduce tobacco use overall, including among the LGBTQ+ community.

States and localities should also restrict sales of flavored tobacco.

Ensure access to cessation services and reduce barriers to care for the LGBTQ+ community.

Improve data collection on topics including tobacco use rates, perceptions, disease risk in the LGBTQ+ community to ensure a more robust picture of tobacco use among this group.

Support the LGBTQ+ community through a variety of means, including, but not limited to passing local and state-level legislation that is protective of LGBTQ+ rights.

We support the permanent removal of flavored tobacco unless a manufacturer can demonstrate: 1) that a particular flavor helps current tobacco users switch completely to a substantially less hazardous product; 2) it will not lead non-tobacco users, such as youth, to initiate tobacco use; and 3) the flavor itself does not increase the risk of harm from using the product.

While more and more people are openly accepting of LGBT people, they still face many challenges, and their high smoking rate is a big sign of the issues that still persist. In the 2024 Prevent Cancer Foundation Early Detection Survey, 16% of respondents said they would prioritize their screenings if a friend or loved one came with them. This was started in the early 90s, and focused on providing safe spaces and supportive group environments for LGBT smokers who wanted to quit.

The LGBTQ+ community faces a significant and often overlooked challenge: higher rates of tobacco use compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts. If you’re age 50 or older with a history of smoking, you should also ask your health care provider about routine lung cancer screening.

Beyond making lifestyle changes, it’s important to be a supporter for those in your life who need it.

The reasons for this are complex, but it undoubtedly represents an area where anti-smoking public health messages, support and quitting advice are particularly important.

Smoking and LGBT People: The Statistics

The CDC reports that 20.6 % of lesbian, gay and bisexual people were current smokers in 2015, compared to 14.9 % of straight people.

Lee JG, Griffin GK and Melvin CL. Tobacco use among sexual minorities in the USA, 1987 to May 2007: A systematic review. Bar culture, exploitative marketing and stigma contribute to this discrepancy.

Bar culture

Some safe spaces for LGBTQ+ community members include bars and clubs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about one in six lesbian, gay and bisexual adults smoke cigarettes, compared with about one in nine heterosexual/straight adults.¹ Cigarette smoking is also higher among transgender adults than cisgender adults.

Tobacco use (including cigarettes, cigars, hookah, chewing tobacco and more) is linked to many types of cancer, including lung, colorectal, breast, throat, cervical, bladder, mouth and esophageal cancers.

LGB female youth had 2X the odds of multiple tobacco product use compared to their heterosexual peers. Lesbian and gay youth who used tobacco reported more frequent use of tobacco products than heterosexual students.

Tobacco use trends among gender minority youth

In 2021, just under 19% of transgender youth used tobacco compared to 8.2% of cisgender youth.
According to data from 2023, transgender high school students had 2X the prevalence of e-cigarette use compared to their cisgender peers and 3X the prevalence of other tobacco use relative to cisgender high school students.

Tobacco use trends among sexual minority adults

Overall, more LGB adults used tobacco (27.4% ) than straight adults (18.4%).

More lesbian, gay or bisexual adults smoked cigarettes (15.3%) compared to heterosexual adults (11.4%). LGB young adults adults reported a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking (16.3%) compared to their heterosexual peers (12.5%). LGB young adults also saw higher e-cigarette use (11.2%) than heterosexual young adults (4.0%).

LGB smokers are significantly more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes, which are easier to use and harder to quit.