Lesbian & Bisexual Girls Smoke More

(Boston, MA) A study conducted by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston indicates that lesbian and bisexual girls ages 12 to 17 were almost 10 times more likely to smoke compared to heterosexual girls of the same age. According to S. Bryn Austin, of Children's Hospital Boston,

"Antigay stigma and harassment, rejection from family, friends, peers and sometimes even physical violence can create a hostile environment for many young people coming to terms with their sexual orientation. This combined with the tobacco industry's targeted marketing to lesbian and gay communities is putting lesbian and bisexual girls in harm's way. We are concerned that these girls may be slipping under the radar screen when it comes to tobacco prevention efforts in schools and communities. More needs to be done to protect these girls and to address the social issues that may lead to their increased tobacco use."

So, the conclusion of the researchers is that the lesbian and bisexual girls are, in fact, doing the smoking, however, it's somebody else's fault. In this case, they blame social stigma and the tobacco companies.

Just for drill, using the same logic for assigning blame, isn't it possible to conclude that lesbianism causes smoking?