Vanessa R. Panfil - The Gang’s All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members

With deep understanding and brash witVanessa Panfils own and that of the gay gang members whose voices pop from these pagesThe Gangs All Queer cuts through all sorts of false assumptions about gangs, gay men, masculinities, and sexualities. Panfils account is complex, vibrant, surprising, and moving.

Joshua Gamson, author of Modern Families: Stories of Extraordinary Journeys to Kinship

Panfils work is a well-researched new and innovative contribution to the gang literature that fills an important gap in both criminological and sociological treatments of transgression. This book deserves to be read widely and used as an antidote to the hackneyed stereotypes that still constitute much of the discourse in this sub-field.

David Brotherton, author of Youth Street Gangs: A Critical Appraisal

There is so much that is fascinating, original, and important about this book.... It rejuvenates and invigorates our thinking about masculinity and queer theory, and it is a breath of fresh air for gang scholarship. This revolutionary and honest work is sure to enliven most courses in criminology or sociology, stir surprise and debates in students, and endure in their memory for years to come.

Robert Garot, author of Who You Claim: Performing Gang Identity in School and on the Streets

Offering powerful ethnographic evidence that homosexual sex practices and queer subjectivities extend to all realms of social life, The Gangs All Queer poses a much-needed challenge to criminologists inattention to the complexities of gender and sexuality within gangs. Panfils analysis raises timely and provocative questions about the social construction of crime and the very definition of gangs themselves.

Jane Ward, author of Not Gay: Sex between Straight White Men

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The Gangs All Queer: The Lives of Gay Gang Members

Vanessa R. Panfil

Vanessa R. Panfil

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

New York

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS

New York

www.nyupress.org

2017 by New York University

All rights reserved

References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.

ISBN : 978-1-4798-0520-4 (hardback)

ISBN : 978-1-4798-7002-8 (paperback)

For Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data, please contact the Library of Congress.

New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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Also available as an ebook

For the victims and survivors of the Pulse Orlando shooting,

and everyone who dares to live out loud.

Data collection for this study was supported in part by two financial awards from the University at Albanys Initiatives for Women, specifically the Karen R. Hitchcock New Frontiers Fund. This book was completed because I received support from the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany, the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Newark, and the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University. I especially thank my colleagues and the doctoral students at ODU for their encouragement as I revised and finished this book. Cheers also go to the professional development/writing groups Ive been a part of: Academic Pursuit at UAlbany and the J-Team at Rutgers.

I have been fortunate to have stellar mentorship. Jody Miller deserves much praise for reading many drafts (probably too many to count) of this manuscript, providing valuable comments, and helping me find my voice as a queer and feminist scholar. I am always in awe of Jodys critical and constructive eye. Dana Peterson advocated for me as I conducted this research and writing, and had faith in my ability to complete this project even when my own was wavering. I am inspired by her onward and upward spirit. Jamie Fader was influential in the design of my study and instrument, and helped me problem-solve often. Frankie Bailey helped me think through popular culture and historical representations.

I also consider myself very lucky to be part of a vibrant community of queer criminology scholars committed to social change. I am particularly appreciative for my dear friends Allyson Walker, Aimee Wodda, and Jordan Blair Woods, who read drafts and talked through difficult decisions with me. They have been excellent compasses in my scholarship and my life, and I treasure them. For needed breaks from or tireless encouragement for book writing, I thank my good friends Heidi Grundetjern, Chris Smith, Rose Bellandi, Raquel Derrick, Amy Hayter, Michelle Hand-Lang, Alison Reed, Elizabeth Groeneveld, Topher Lawton, and Seigo Nishijima. It is truly a gift to be surrounded by positive, caring people.

In Columbus, my siblings, nieces, and nephews always warmly welcomed me home. They bring me so much joy! I miss them daily. I am especially grateful to my parents, Peter and Rachel Panfil, for being infinitely supportive of my queer activism and scholarship. I am beyond thrilled when they talk about my work with such pride.