In the US, young LGBT adults are twice as likely to smoke as other young people. As a result, tens of thousands of LGBT people die from smoking-related illnesses every year.
The Food and Drug Administration recently decided to step in and launch “This Free Life,” the first-ever, federal anti-smoking campaign aimed at young LGBT folks.
Here's one of the campaign's cheekiest ads, "Be Known for Your Flawless," which also happens to be the first federal ad to feature drag queens.
"Yas queen, every cigarette is doing you damage," one of the queens says in the ad.
"I stay tobacco free, because this life is too good to cut short," he says.
Higher smoking rates in the LGBT community can be linked to the stress of coming out, the FDA said in a statement.
The "This Free Life" ads are a departure from past scare tactic campaigns, most notably the CDC's "Tips from Former Smokers" ads, which featured throat cancer survivors who talk through voice prostheses.
The new campaign takes more of a comedic and encouraging tone, which hopefully makes it more successful in its mission.
"'This Free Life' is designed to challenge the perception that tobacco use is a necessary part of LGBT culture," said Richard Wolitski, director of US Department of Health and Human Services for HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, said in a statement. "The campaign shows LGBT young adults they can be the person they want to be and still live tobacco free."
