In recent years, the American gay market segment has been recognized by publications and businesses as large and lucrative. Whether purposefully or inadvertently, U.S. businesses have been marketing to gay consumers for well over 100 years. This market segment has developed as a result of a series of historical and societal events, paralleling the development of the gay community and involving activities on the part of both buyers and sellers. This article traces the evolution of the gay market segment from the late nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century through three historical phases: (1) the underground phase, pre-1941; (2) the community-building phase, 1941-1970; and (3) the mainstream phase, 1970 to the present. A conceptual framework linking buyer and seller activities to historic events in these three phases is presented along with examples of products and services marketed to gay Americans within each phase.
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