Towards (and beyond) LGBTQ+ studies in marketing and consumer research

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical review of Marketing and Consumer Research on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer, and other non-heterosexuals (LGBTQ+). We identify five underdeveloped areas in this literature: a lack of research beyond urban Anglo-American consumer cultures; a focus on gay men at the expense of other LGBTQ+ consumers; a paucity of theorizations that consider how sexual identities intersect with race, class, and other markers of difference; a dominance of subculture-theory enabled studies assuming that non-heterosexuals are universally stigmatized; and an opportunity for interdisciplinary research that engages with insights from sociology, psychology, and geography. We trace the historical origins of sexual identities as modern categories and the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement. We furthermore suggest how marketers and consumer researchers could surpass the limitations of existing literature toward LGBTQ+ studies and beyond, and highlight the relevance of such research within wider discussions regarding sexual identities, sexual practices, and sexualised/gendered bodies and places.