A soclogist spent two years terviewg gay gang members. While some were the closet and others were openly gay, all were forced to reckon wh an environment of hypermasculy.
Contents:
- ‘THE OUTSIRS’ THOR S.E. HTON IS HOT WATER WH GAY-RIGHTS SUPPORTERS
- ON GREASE'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY, DON'T FET THE GAY MAN WHO MA IT
- GAY FOR GREASERS :HEART_EY:
‘THE OUTSIRS’ THOR S.E. HTON IS HOT WATER WH GAY-RIGHTS SUPPORTERS
* gay greasers *
Hton, who wrote “The Outsirs” when she was high school — was published 1967 — has ntued to wre novels for young adults and has more than 40, 000 Twter the rear replied he thought a relatnship between the two teenagers would be “cute, ” Hton tweeted, “ask someone the ‘60’s how ‘cute’ was to be gay. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macch (as Johnny) and Matt Dillon (as Dallas) Twter, Hton doubled down on her assertn that the characters weren’t gay, wrg, “I have no problem wh anyone beg gay. No, they are not gay.
”One rear lled Hton’s rpons “trash, ” wrg, “Why would you reject young gay kids terpretg your characters a way that mak them feel safe? ”“Young gay kids n intify wh the book whout me sayg the characters are gay, ” Hton replied.
ON GREASE'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY, DON'T FET THE GAY MAN WHO MA IT
”Hton spent much of Monday rpondg to rears who were upset wh her tweets, reeratg that the characters were straight and nyg that she harbored homophobic feelgs. There are many stereotyp of and assumptns about street gangs, jt as there are many stereotyp and assumptns about gay men.
In movi and televisn, some of the most regnizable gay characters have been portrayed as effemate or weak; they’re “fashnistas” or “gay bt iends. This obv ntradictn was one of the ma reasons I was drawn to the subject of gay gang members.
GAY FOR GREASERS :HEART_EY:
For my book “The Gang’s All Queer, ” I terviewed and spent time wh 48 gay or bisexual male gang members. All were between the ag of 18 and 28; the majory were men of lor; and all lived or near Columb, Oh, which has been referred to as a “Midwtern gay mec. The experience, which took place over the urse of more than two years, allowed me to explore the tensns they felt between gang life and gay manhood.
Some of the gang members were gangs ma up of primarily gay, lbian or bisexual people. Others were the only gay man (or one of a few) an otherwise “straight” gang.
Then there were what I ll “hybrid” gangs, which featured a mix of straight, gay, lbian and bisexual members, but wh straight people still the majory. Bee even the ia of a gay man beg a gang fli the face of nventnal thought, the gang members I spoke wh had to nstantly rist or subvert a range of stereotyp and expectatns.