The Mafia historically controlled gay bars as part of their vice rackets in many cities across the United States including New York and Chicago due to their once illicit status. A common misunderstanding among the general public is that the wise guys were eliminated from the gay bars following the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. However, organized crime kept a hidden hand -- often through violent means resulting in a few murders -- in many watering holes for the gay community at least into the mid-1980s if not later. Indeed, the Mafia hijacked gay liberation for political cover and used so-called Auntie Gays -- the Uncle Toms of the gay community -- as frontmen for their bars to evade suspicion. The Mafia and the Gays provides a comprehensive look at the mob's involvement with gay bars including the iconic Continental Baths which had Colombo protection and the infamous Haymarket which was under Genovese control. The Mafia and the Gays relies upon an extensive collection of historical sources including FBI files many of which have not been publicly available until recently acquired by the author through the Freedom of Information Act. --Back cover.
Reviews with the most likes.
Glimpses into the connections between the Mafia and the Gays.
I love Phillip Crawford Jr. books about LGBTQ+ history because he is always meticulous in his detail. The Mafia and the Gays (Create Space Independent Publishing, 9781508785989, 2015) is a plethora of information from a wide variety of sources such as a dancer's biography to an article in the New York Times.
I can imagine how many lesbians in the 1960s yelled at their father's for making them gay as a researcher had stated it was the paternal gene that made women lesbians (laugh). I so want to use that now as a joke.
I have to confess that I had no idea that the Stonewall riots were actually a result of the police wanting the mafia out and the gay community wanting the mafia out also. Nor that the pride parades in the beginning were part of the result of the mafia looking for good relations. The fact that they even started their own gay magazines is hilarious to me.
I also thought it was interesting that a homosexual was defined as a male who called someone “dear” (laugh) - do you know how many men call me “dear”? Especially the scammers? This is hysterical.
I do understand the reality for the LGBTQ+ community. This is why history is so important. Knowledge is so important. I can find humor in these small things because I have to look beyond and see the big picture of how much work we still have to do. As you read Crawford's book, some of the dates are not that long ago.
Crawford makes history interesting and palatable. You can see the action happening as if it is 1954 or 1985. His research is solid. He uses multiple sources. He takes quotes right from the hearings so you hear right from the accused's own voice. History. No fake news here. Our history, yet another of Crawford's books you should read.
I received this book for free in a Goodreads Giveaway and give my opinion without prejudice and voluntarily.
