The focus of this study is the Brazilian gay (male homosexuals) subculture. Our objective is to explore the changes that occur in the way gays interact with the world of products during the process of "coming out of the closet". This analysis is important to understand the construction of the homosexual identity. Ten long in-depth interviews were carried out with gays residing in Rio de Janeiro between October 2004 and January 2005. The results suggest that products and services are actively used by gays in order to deny, camouflage, and reinforce their homosexual identity.
gay consumer; homosexual identity; identity
