Out of the closet and out on the street!: Gay men and their brand relationships

The purpose of this article is to report the findings of a study that explored the lived experience and consumer behaviors of 44 gay men. The specific focus is on the brand relationships considered community constructing. Participant observation and long interviews were both used extensively to attain this objective. Various literatures have not fully explored various forms of consumer behavior and their important interrelationships with community and resistance to the sexual status quo. This research illuminates the theoretical relationships between brand relationships in constructing gay community. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.