Trade

Trade is a gay slang term with roots in Polari, the coded language used by gay men, sailors, and theater people in mid-20th-century Britain. It traditionally referred to a masculine, usually straight-identifying, often working-class man who had sex with gay men, sometimes transactionally. The variant "rough trade" described partners read as tough or dangerous. In American gay subcultures, especially among Black gay men, it came to emphasize partners who keep a straight image. Ballroom and drag culture reshaped the word into a compliment. On shows like RuPaul's Drag Race, calling someone "trade" means they are strikingly attractive and masculine, as in "trade of the season."