Assimilating the Queers: Representations of Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexual, and Transgender People in Mainstream Advertising

This paper investigates how lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are represented in mainstream advertising in the United States. This article addresses which subgroups are most commonly featured and textually analyzes the common plots, iconography, and appeals used to represent LGBT characters in advertising. The objective is to explore how the identity categories of sexuality, gender, race, and class are enacted in advertising and what sociocultural and marketing ideologies shape these representations.