Gays Disproportionately Light Up

By Amita Parashar

Nearly 40% of gay women smoke, compared to 18% of their heterosexual counterparts, according to new figures from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The findings , published in the August issue of the journal Tobacco Control, reviewed 42 studies of tobacco use among LGBT people conducted between 1987 and 2007. The study also found that 33% of gay men smoke compared to 24% of straight men.

Lead author Joseph Lee attributed the difference to the success of the tobacco industry's LGBT-targeted marketing as well as "time spent in smoky social venues and stress from discrimination."

The paper calls for further study into LGBT health and interventions addressing smoking among sexual minorities, such as the National LGBT Tobacco Control Network, which works to counter tobacco marketing and addiction.

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Reader Comments

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Name: spikewebbe
Date posted: 7/27/2009 12:38:00 PM
Hometown: boston, ma

Comment:
PJR is a useless loud mouth troll hiding behind his computer like a loser. He'll get bored soon and move on to pullute another site. I go on an African American site often and their are a few racists who go on the site and sprew very racist things but after a while, since most have ADD they get bored and restless and climb back into their holes. Hopefully, the same thing happens to this fool PJR.
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Name: rdp
Date posted: 7/27/2009 12:32:00 PM
Hometown: Seattle

Comment:
Is there any way the managers of the Advocate website could BAN PJR from posting? I personally find his posts abusive, demeaning, and hateful. I know I am not alone in this. His point of view represents in no way whatsoever what this site should be about.
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Name: cs
Date posted: 7/27/2009 11:16:00 AM
Hometown: phoenix

Comment:
Dearest PJR. Please come out of the closet. Your constant cruising of Gay web sites says all that needs to be said. You are a conflicted Gay boy that was probably abused as a child and that is why your life is so full of hate and anger. You are really a sad pitifull boy. We are welcoming and kind so join up!
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Name: rdp
Date posted: 7/27/2009 12:24:00 AM
Hometown: Seattle

Comment:
It's a shame there are so many abusive trolls on the Advocate comments pages. I guess it is their right in a "free country," but it seems to me that they might show at least a shard of human decency and mind their own business. Instead of a forum where we gays and lesbians could have a space to talk about issues that directly affect our lives, we have to to read hate and defend ourselves.
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Name: PJR
Date posted: 7/26/2009 11:28:00 PM
Hometown: Michigan

Comment:
There's a bumper sticker that deals with this appropriately: "I read where smoking, drinking, gambling and chasing women is bad for you, so I decided to give up reading!". By the way the gay agendaer who's on here posting bogus fake ID posts ending with "gay pride" sign on as PJR just proves once again homosexuality is a mental disorder!
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Name: anthony
Date posted: 7/26/2009 4:35:00 PM
Hometown: dublin

Comment:
data shows that smoking is very bad for your health, but so is drinking, so is drugs, so is bad driving, faulty Planes, but hay its people's choice to do as they wish the last time I looked, I dont drink or smoke but hay thats my choice, eating crap fast-food is as bad as smoking, in Ireland that majority of smokers is girls between 13 18yrs, I suspect its the same in the USA
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Name: Carol
Date posted: 7/26/2009 12:35:00 PM
Hometown: MO

Comment:
Duane, I have a life, one that has been trying to help GLBT for probably more yrs. than you've lived. Everything I have ever commented on on this link is positive for GLBT. No where does it say that only GLBT can comment.
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Name: mikeLT
Date posted: 7/26/2009 10:22:00 AM
Hometown: boston

Comment:
It's funny how a certain gay hating poster claims gays have a "mental disorder" when he is so obsessed with other people's sexual orientation... one could call that a "mental disorder". I'm not one to accuse him(her?) as being a "closet case".... because I don't want him(her) on our team! Post all you want (I don't like censorship)... you're simply a reminder of the hate that is out there, and that we cannot become complacent in fighting for our equal (not "special") rights. I only hope you don't have a gay child... because if he or she knows your views, he or she is much more likely to commit suicide.
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Name: Duane
Date posted: 7/26/2009 8:07:00 AM
Hometown: Jersey City

Comment:
This is a gay website. "PJR" and "Carol" need to get a life and leave it.
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Name: Rach
Date posted: 7/25/2009 8:56:00 PM
Hometown: San Francisco

Comment:
Smoking is stinky like PJR

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