Respectability and autonomy: The articulation and meaning of sexuality among the girls in the gang

Abstract

This article explores two different discourses of sexuality among female gang members. Homegirls have long been associated with stereotypes about their sexuality-they are usually portrayed as either too sexual or not (hetero)sexual enough. Yet, in spite of these stereotypes, we know little about how female gang members themselves talk and think about sexuality. In this article, using data from the authors'ongoing study of street gangs in the San Francisco Bay Area, the authors trace two very different discourses of sexuality among female gang members. The first discourse centers on a modern-day variation of the classic dichotomy between "good" and "bad" girls. A second discourse of "sexual autonomy" stresses the female gang members' own sexual needs, choices, and actions. Both discourses are not solely about sex per se. They express concerns about a homegirl's place in the social world of which she is part.