Lester Limp Wrist

The unexpected self-outing of a mobster in a Brooklyn courthouse during his sentencing yesterday resulted in a rather fascinating look at the history of gays in the mafia. (His actual case and how he hopes coming out might help him get a more lenient sentence are the focus of the piece, but are also the least interesting angle.)

The New York Times reports:

"[Being gay] has led to acts of violence in the past. In 1992, for instance, John D’Amato, a former boss of the DeCavalcante crime family, was murdered by an underling when, after an argument, his girlfriend told his cronies he was gay. 'Nobody’s going to respect us if we have a gay homosexual boss sitting down discussing La Cosa Nostra business,' the gunman, Anthony Capo, testified at a murder trial in 2003." (Those gay homosexuals are the worst!)

"There are, nonetheless, certain gay men who prospered in proximity to the mob -- perhaps most notably the lawyer Roy Cohn, who represented dons like Anthony Salerno and Carmine Galante. The mob was also known for running gay bars and night clubs, including the Stonewall Inn, at a time when they were still considered part of the underworld."