The Ties That Bind Us - Integrating Male Homosexuality & Entrepreneurship

Abstract: In recent years, there has been an increase in the research of minority entrepreneurs, including ethnic minorities and women, but entrepreneurship amongst members of the LGBT community remains a subject rarely studied. Studies which have contributed to knowledge of gay professionals and entrepreneurs typically position homosexuality as an obstacle to be overcome. The aim of this study is to establish homosexuality as an asset for the entrepreneur. We investigate sexuality as a context in entrepreneurship, endeavoring to understand when, where, why, and how entrepreneurship begins and is carried out amongst gay male entrepreneurs. We also analyse the entrepreneur’s connection to a local gay community and the effectiveness of this network by aiding the entrepreneur in the establishment and operation of his business, drawing parallels to the concept of mixed embeddedness previously established and applied in the study of ethnic entrepreneurship. We aim to broaden the current understanding of social capital by expressing the use of sexuality as social capital amongst this segment of entrepreneurs. To accomplish our aim, we have carried out a qualitative analysis of data collected from interviews with ten gay male entrepreneurs located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Due to the view in this paper of entrepreneurship as a heterogeneous discipline, this study relies on a broad definition of entrepreneurship to include freelancers and self-employed.