A 2008 study from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids advocacy group analyzed whether the tobacco industry excessively markets to lesbian, gay and bisexual communities. This has been done by tailoring their advertisements towards support for same-sex marriage in high readership magazines. Since then, tobacco companies have heavily targeted the LGBTQ+ community.
In 1992, Philip Morris became the first tobacco company to advertise in Genre, a national gay publication. However, it is clear that some companies are not looking to support the best interest of the population. The purpose of the month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on society locally, nationally and internationally. The LGBTQ+ community was once called an “area of opportunity” filled with “growth potential” by many executives at Big Tobacco companies.
