Gay gang members
There are many stereotypes of and assumptions about street gangs, just as there are many stereotypes and assumptions about gay men. Lovely much none of those stereotypes overlap.
In movies and television, some of the most known gay characters possess been portrayed as effeminate or weak; they’re “fashionistas” or “gay best friends.” Street gang members, on the other hand, are often depicted as hypermasculine, heterosexual and tough.
This obvious contradiction was one of the main reasons I was drawn to the subject of gay gang members.
For my book “The Gang’s All Queer,” I interviewed and spent time with 48 gay or attracted to both genders male gang members. All were between the ages of 18 and 28; the majority were men of color; and all lived in or adjacent Columbus, Ohio, which has been referred to as a “Midwestern gay mecca.”
The experience, which took place over the course of more than two years, allowed me to explore the tensions they felt between gang animation and gay manhood.
Some of the gang members were in gangs made up of primarily gay, lesbian or bisexual people. Others were the only gay man (or one of a few) in an otherwise “straight” gang. Then there were what I phone “hybrid” gan
The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members
Description
Many people believe that gangs are made up of forceful thugs who are in and out of jail, and who are hyper-masculine and heterosexual. In The Gang’s All Queer, Vanessa Panfil introduces us to a different society. Meet gay gang members – sometimes referred to in popular culture as “homo thugs” – whose gay culture complicates criminology’s portrayal and representation of gangs, gang members, and gang existence. In vivid detail, Panfil provides an in-depth understanding of how gay gang members construct and negotiate both masculine and gay identities through crime and gang membership… [From Amazon.com]
Publisher
New York University Press
Keywords
Gang members, Lgbtq+ men, United States
Disciplines
Criminology and Criminal Justice | Lesbian, Queer, Bisexual, and Gender diverse Studies
Recommended Citation
Panfil, Vanessa R., "The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members" (2017). Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Books. 24.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/sociology_criminaljustice_books/24
Panfil, Vanessa R.. "3 Gay Gangs Becoming “Known”: Respect, Violence, and Chosen Family". The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members, Modern York, USA: New York University Press, 2017, pp. 73-107. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479805457.003.0008
Panfil, V. (2017). 3 Gay Gangs Becoming “Known”: Respect, Hostility, and Chosen Family. In The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Queer Gang Members (pp. 73-107). New York, USA: Unused York University Press. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479805457.003.0008
Panfil, V. 2017. 3 Gay Gangs Becoming “Known”: Respect, Violence, and Chosen Family. The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members. Modern York, USA: New York University Press, pp. 73-107. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479805457.003.0008
Panfil, Vanessa R.. "3 Gay Gangs Becoming “Known”: Respect, Violence, and Chosen Family" In The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members, 73-107. New York, USA: New York University Press, 2017. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479805457.003.0008
Panfil V. 3 Gay Gangs Becoming “Known”: Respect, Hostility,
The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members
Honorable Bring up , 2018 Distinguished Book Award presented by the American Sociological Association’s Sociology of Sexualities Section
The first inside look at gay gang members.
Many people believe that gangs are made up of stormy thugs who are in and out of jail, and who are hyper-masculine and heterosexual. In The Gang’s All Queer, Vanessa Panfil introduces us to a different world. Meet gay gang members – sometimes referred to in popular culture as “homo thugs” – whose gay self complicates criminology’s portrayal and voice of gangs, gang members, and gang life. In vivid detail, Panfil provides an in-depth sympathy of how gay gang members construct and negotiate both masculine and gay identities through crime and gang membership.
The Gang’s All Queer draws from interviews with over 50 gay gang- and crime-involved young men in Columbus, Ohio, the majority of whom are men of hue in their late teens and early twenties, as well as on-the-ground ethnographic fieldwork with men who are in gay, hybrid, and straight gangs. Panfil provides an eye-opening portrait of how even members of straight gangs are co