Acceptance of LGBTQ people in mainstream society sometimes takes odd forms. Just ask Lady Godiva, the drag queen who helped usher in a new era for acceptance of gay people among Italy’s organized crime.
Yes, really.
Anti-mob prosecutor Nicola Gratteri tells The Times that the ‘Ndrangheta, the crime syndicate of southern Italy, now welcomes gay members. That news comes as a shock to anyone familiar with the Italian Mob, which has long fostered homophobic attitudes.
“It undermines their image of themselves as tough, virile guys,” Gratteri says. “But the Mafia have evolved along with society. Gays can be accepted now, even as foot soldiers, so long as they don’t parade it in public.”
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Related: Here’s How The Mafia Brought The Early LGBT Community Together
According to Gratteri, gay men in the mob can openly attend gay bars, have boyfriends, exchange passionate love letters and even perform as a drag queen, as in the case of Lady Godiva. Godiva is the son of a prominent mafioso.
In an even stranger twist, Gratteri, who has characterized the mob as growing “soft” over the years, has also faced public backlash from pro-gay mafia members who welcome their LGBTQ fellow gang members. He’s also faced numerous attempts on his life, including discovering a bomb made of 36 pounds of plastic explosives meant to kill him in 2017.
He lives his life under constant police protection, and often shies away from social functions like attending his children’s school plays for fear of attacks on his life. That said, we hope any attempt at a Godfather Part 4 includes a drag performing Corleone.
Raymundo
An Enby mob member goes by Dey/Dem pronouns. In all seriousness the mob is known to adapt. They even worked with Jewish gangsters at a point. It such a business you can’t afford to be pig headed.
Georgeiv2
Oh for Heavens sake the name says it all ITALIAN mob or no mob all the ‘ virile ‘posers want is their not so big dicks sucked or the odd bit of arse Their wives and girlfriends have moustaches anyway If you are looking for real men with a big package move to the South of France there the blokes have turned sex into an art and I speak from experience and say Via la France !
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
So are we gonna now see a merging with the Pink Mafia?
Hussain-TheCanadian
The Italian mafia is still a thing??
fab0497
Here In Italy?,yes it still is, in Italy there are 4 types of mafia organization: the Camorra (Naples), ‘Ndrangheta (Calabria),Cosa Nostra would be the original mafia (sicily) and capital mafia (Rome), these organizations are still very powerful especially in politics where Italy is the most corrupt country in Europe.