Anti-Smoking Campaign for LGBT Comes to Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials today announced an advertising campaign aimed at bringing down the rate of tobacco smoking among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

"Despite LA County's relatively low overall smoking rate, the smoking rate among the LGBT populations continues to be unacceptably high, due in part to specific targeting by the tobacco industry," said county health officer and public health director Jonathan E. Fielding.

In Los Angeles County, smoking in the lesbian, gay and bisexual community is 20.6 percent, compared with 13.3 percent among heterosexuals, according to 2011 statistics. The disparity is even greater among the county's transgender population, which has a 25.1 percent rate of people smoking.

As part of the six-month "Breaking Up With Tobacco" campaign, county health officials are unleashing a series of ads to counteract tobacco industry marketing, targeting night-life spots like bars, clubs and gyms in West Hollywood, Long Beach and other areas.

The campaign puts a spin on popular break-up lines and employs a series of brightly colored signs that take jabs at tobacco. "Our relationship has become toxic," "Get your butt out of your life," "You've burned me too many times," and "Sorry, it's not me. It's you" are some of the copy lines.

The ads will be shown on posters, digital displays, bar-ware and social media. A community outreach team will also be deployed to talk to people about the negative health effects of smoking, as well as handout campaign-branded underwear, condoms and lubricant.

The advertising effort comes as the state's Department of Public Health released data that showed the statewide rate of smoking among lesbians, gays and bisexuals is 27.4 percent, more than twice as high as heterosexuals, who have a 12.9 percent rate.

Chris Brown of the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center called the latest smoking rates "alarming" and thinks the campaign "will engage people where they're most likely to smoke -- bars and nightclubs."

"Through years of successful targeted marketing to gay men and lesbians, tobacco companies have won a significant market share of our demographic, resulting in a much higher rate of smoking among LGBT people," Brown said. "We've got to turn that around with our own marketing initiatives, so we applaud the L.A. County Department of Public Health for funding this campaign."

The $500,000 campaign is funded through a federal grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

-- City News Service