Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) People
Know the Facts
If you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, you likely have seen tobacco ads in magazines, newspapers, and websites directed at you. Tobacco companies are focusing their advertising on your communities.
Several factors connect commercial tobacco with higher levels of disease, disability, and death in different population groups. Learn more about health disparities related to commercial tobacco use that affect LGBTQ+ people.
Smoking among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the United States is much higher than among heterosexual/straight adults.
- About 1 in 6 (15.3%) of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults smoke cigarettes, compared with about 1 in 9 (11.4%) of heterosexual/straight adults.*
- Cigarette smoking is also higher among transgender adults (35.5%), than among adults whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex (cisgender).†
Smoking increases your risk for lung cancer, heart disease, chronic bronchitis, and other smoking-related diseases.
Learn what percent of people currently smokes cigarettes, both in the United States overall and among specific population groups.
Quit Smoking Medicines
There are 7 quit-smoking medicines approved by the FDA. Explore ways to get free or reduced cost quit-smoking medicines from your health insurance, health plan, or other sources.
*Tobacco Product Use Among Adults – United States, 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2023.
† Transgender Use of Cigarettes, Cigars, and E-Cigarettes in a National Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, [e-pub 2017 Jan 13].
Ellie N. never smoked herself, but she worked in a bar that had many LGBTQ+ customers and she noticed plenty of smokers. She had severe asthma attacks—triggered by her exposure to secondhand smoke on the job.
“I had trouble breathing. It was terrifying!”