Gay black gang

They vouched for me to their friends. They also fight with their enemies, many of whom are in rival gay gangs. I was openly gay – part of the “family,” as some of them put it – and because I was a student conducting research for a book, they were confident that I stood a better chance of accurately representing them than any “straight novelist” or journalist.

Some of the gang members were in gangs made up of primarily gay, lesbian or bisexual people.

But this created its own tricky terrain. Then, El Baxter and another gang leader kicked him in the stomach. And it was one of the things that struck me the most. In other sectors they were exposed to rape and humiliation. 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, Gay men, United States

Disciplines

Criminology and Criminal Justice | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies

Recommended Citation

Panfil, Vanessa R., "The Gang's All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members" (2017).

El Fénix had the rank of “program runner” – he was the head of a group of leaders of other gang cells. But a number of fears held them back. How is it possible that these people feel free in a cell that is 3 ft by 5 ft?! If they leave their part of the prison, let alone the prison itself, they’re likely to be killed. Their story is an exception to the rule – and a unique look at an unseen dynamic within Central Americas violent mara gangs.

The contempt for homosexuality in the gangs makes it impossible to know how common it is, said Luis Enrique Amaya, an El Salvadoran investigator.

One of them did not want to reveal his identity but not because of the gang, but because he did not want his mother to find out. But this is the only space where they can be who they really are. Only a handful of them came out to their traditional gangs, and this sometimes resulted in serious consequences, such as being “bled out” of the gang (forced out through a fight).

Despite the dangers, some wanted to come out.

Many responded with their fists. Meet gay gang members – sometimes referred to in popular culture as “homo thugs” – whose gay identity complicates criminology’s portrayal and representation of gangs, gang members, and gang life. Most come from impoverished, ‘rough’ neighborhoods, and seek to defy negative stereotypes of gay and Black men as deadbeats, though sometimes through illegal activity.