Ironically, mainstream advertisers may be caught in a convergence of misimpressions and stereotypes that feeds their enthusiasm for the LesBiGay consumer. Whether or not overzealous reports of LesBiGay affluence sweep in the marketers, however, they must now perceive that the exact demographics of the community do not matter; after all, a substantial sector does have discretionary income, and "it does not take a lot of research to recognize that . . . [the LesBiGay community] is subject to trends. Once a trend catches on within a community -- especially a hip urban one -- there is a good chance it will spread elsewhere."48 And whether or not advertisers naively believe that all LesBiGays are starving for attention and vulnerable to commercial exploitation,49 they must now appreciate that some LesBiGays will indeed pay for pride. It is to be expected that LesBiGay "[a]ssimilationists may try to buy acceptance by buying into consumer society," or that "A-Gays may invest in fantasy lifestyles decorated with symbols of superiority."50 Moreover, grateful LesBiGay consumers may even reward pandering advertisers with brand loyalty. As one Hiram Walker manager once put it, "I have a file of letters an inch or two thick from gay consumers thanking us and vowing their loyalty. . . . A straight consumer wouldn't take the time and say thank you for validating us."51
At bottom, the rapid rise in LesBiGay advertising may be explained by nothing more than the realization that probable gains outweigh potential risks. Any economic losses sustained from feeble protests by the Far Right have been offset by profits from LesBiGay purchases. John Slowick, Jr., ex-publisher of Out magazine, remarked pointedly, "Our demographics are more appealing than those of eighty-year-old Christian ladies."52 Levi Strauss understood as much in 1993 when a boycott of its products, organized by Reverend Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association in retaliation for the company's pro-gay stance, failed to affect the jeans maker's year of record-breaking profits.53 Ultimately, marketers know that, in this realm, they are winning the game by familiar rules.54 In capitalist America, the wheels of fortune turn with money: "There's a market here; there's a buck to be made."55
