Gay gang
Learn about the gay gang that supports its members behind bars
BySylvia Rivera Commandment ProjectonApril 24, 2014inNews, SRLP Prisoner Advisory Committee
How does someone survive in a “male” prison when their mannerisms and identity differ from the hyper-masculine norm? One incarcerated member of SRLP gives us the scoop on a supportive “gang” that keeps view over the safety of its members, who each identify outside of their prison’s macho majority.
Warning: The following letter discusses topics such as emotional, verbal and sexual abuse, and has not been edited in any way. Proceed with caution if you may be triggered by these topics.
“True Gay Gangstas,”
by Robert “Rabi” Cepeda.
It is not easy being Queer in prison. Several years ago, I was talking to a queen named Nova in Elmira Correctional Facility. She relayed to me how a guy told her she was weak to be a “faggot” in prison. She told him that the fact she could be around so many homophobic men who constantly shun her and give her dirty looks and still maintain her feminine attitude shows she instead is the strong one.
That conversation has al
'The Gang's All Queer' Documents Lives Of Same-sex attracted Gang Members In Columbus
Pop culture often helps perpetuate stereotypes about same-sex attracted men and about gang members, and virtually none of those stereotypes overlap. That’s what Vanessa Panfil says led her to spend more than a year researching the lives of gay gang members in Columbus.
Her findings are laid out in "The Gang's All Queer," a new sociology book in which Panfil dives into the experiences of gay gang members, and members of all-gay gangs.
“I’m from Columbus originally, I was very committed in the LGBTQ people there, and I met several gay men about my age or younger who had been committed in gangs or crime,” says Panfil, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Aged Dominion University in Virginia.
Panfil says she wanted to know why and how they became involved in criminal activities, but also explore the "world of tensions and contradictions" about being a gay gang member.
Panfil says she identified a total of 48 gay, lesbian or multi-attracted gang members in Columbus, and 26 members of all-gay gangs. She says gay men who were members of mostly-straight gangs were ofte
The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members
Description
Many people believe that gangs are made up of violent 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 diverse world. Meet gay gang members – sometimes referred to in popular identity as “homo thugs” – whose gay identity complicates criminology’s portrayal and advocacy of gangs, gang members, and gang life. 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, Queer men, United States
Disciplines
Criminology and Criminal Justice | Woman loving woman, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual 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, Brand-new 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 Same-sex attracted Gang Members (pp. 73-107). New York, USA: Recent 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. Fresh 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, Abuse,
.