Gay gang

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The film tells the story of how three bullied DC teens started the only documented all-gay or transgender gang in America —also called Check It—with Warren being one of the original ten. A new documentary, 'Unforgivable,' follows Geovany, a gay former gang hitman, who grapples with both his sexuality and his violent past. 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. 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 color 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 set out to challenge existing heterosexist assumptions in criminology; tackling head-on basic questions such as who can be a gang member, and how crime, violence, and gang membership can produce avenues for constructing gay identities. Vanessa R. Panfil does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

There are many stereotypes of and assumptions about street gangs , just as there are many stereotypes and assumptions about gay men. Pretty much none of those stereotypes overlap. This obvious contradiction was one of the main reasons I was drawn to the subject of gay gang members. The experience, which took place over the course of more than two years, allowed me to explore the tensions they felt between gang life and gay manhood.

Some of the gang members were in gangs made up of primarily gay, lesbian or bisexual people. Most of these gangs were primarily male. Because even the idea of a gay man being in a gang flies in the face of conventional thought, the gang members I spoke with had to constantly resist or subvert a range of stereotypes and expectations.

How could I — a white, middle-class woman with no prior gang involvement — gain access to these gangs in the first place? It helped that the initial group of men whom I spoke to knew me from years earlier, when we became friends at a drop-in center for LGBTQ youth. They vouched for me to their friends. But I also suspect that my own masculine presentation allowed them to feel more at ease; I speak directly, have very short hair and usually leave the house in plaid, slacks and Adidas shoes.

While my race and gender did make for some awkward interactions some folks we encountered assumed I was a police officer or a business owner , with time I gained their trust, started getting introduced to more members and began to learn about how each type of gang presented its own set of challenges. The gay men in straight gangs I spoke with knew precisely what was expected of them: be willing to fight with rival gangs, demonstrate toughness, date or have sex with women and be financially independent.

Being effeminate was a nonstarter; they were all careful to present a uniformly masculine persona, lest they lose status and respect. Likewise, coming out was a huge risk. Being openly gay could threaten their status as well as their safety. Despite the dangers, some wanted to come out. But a number of fears held them back.

Would their fellow gang members start to distrust them?

What if the other members got preoccupied about being sexually approached? So most stayed in the closet, continuing to project heterosexuality, while discreetly meeting other gay men in underground gay scenes or over the internet. As one man told me, he was glad cellphones had been invented because he could keep his private sexual life with men just that: private.

One particularly striking story came from a member of a straight gang who made a date for sex over the internet, only to discover that it was two fellow gang members who had arranged the date with him. But they had more flexibility. In the hybrid gangs, members felt far more comfortable coming out than those in purely straight gangs.

It was also more acceptable for them to project femininity, whether it was making flamboyant gestures, using effeminate mannerisms, or wearing certain styles of clothing, like skinny jeans. They were still in a gang. This meant they needed to clash with rival gay crews, so they valued toughness and fighting prowess. Men in gay gangs especially expressed genuine and heartfelt connections to their fellow gang members.

These were their friends, their chosen families — their pillars of emotional support. They questioned if being tough or eager to fight constituted what it should mean to be a man.