Gays in the Mafia from queer hitman murdered by cousin to ‘fabulous’ drag queen

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A branch of the Italian Mafia has “evolved with society”, dropping a ban on gay members after a boss' son was revealed to be a "fabulous" drag queen.

Nicola Gratteri, an anti-Mafia investigator in the southern region of Calabria, said while a taboo amongst older mafiosos still exists, younger generations are more relaxed with having gay members.

That is if they "don't parade it in public," Gratteri, who has lived under police protection for 30 years, added in a chat with The Times.

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He intercepted communications of an ­infamous organised drugs gang known as ’Ndrangheta, who are thought to control 80% of cocaine flow in Europe, part of a £38billion empire – and who allegedly fed a rival to pigs.

Gratteri also saw “passionate” letters between one crime boss and a young lieutenant.

As well as uncovering evidence that Mafia foot soldiers enjoy drag bars, he even discovered that one crime boss' son is a drag queen called Lady Godiva.

Godiva's Instagram is a sea of pink, full of public performances in clubs across the region.

In a 2015 interview with Gay, Godiva said his family accepted his lifestyle.

"I’ve never tried to hide my normalcy, my way of being and by my nature I have never flaunted my homosexuality.

"I have always tried to insert myself in every context with my sympathy and my naturalness, never forcing myself to be something that I am not. Even the family accepted my choices."

Godiva went on to insinuate that the total opposite may be true, the family name may be a burden on them.

“I believe that a person is not the surname he bears, but everyone is responsible for his own actions and should be judged for what he is," he said.

Despite the acceptance, a mafia hitman who came out as gay was killed his own cousin in 2002.

According to Q News, Andrea Mantella admits he obeyed orders to kill Filippo Gangitano because of his sexuality.

Gangitano was reportedly living openly with his boyfriend at the time.

“It undermines their image of themselves as tough, virile guys,” said Gratteri. “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.”

Gratteri said the Mafia have gone soft.

“I’ve brought to trial the grandfathers and fathers of today’s bosses. They were impassive in the face of long prison sentences,” he said.

“The young today can’t take the stress of prison in the way their parents did. They get paranoid, depressed. They’re more fragile.”

Instead of death threats, par for the course in his line of work, Gratteri received a slew of emails accusing him of being “insensitive” for saying the organisation had gone soft for admitting gay men.

Lady Godiva’s family elder Giovanni Ficara was “the target of a bazooka attack two days before Christmas, 1990.”

Hitmen sent to kill him fired the weapon at his SUV, but he was saved because it was armoured.

The ’Ndrangheta mob work with other organised crime groups including biker and Asian or Middle Eastern gangs on drug importation, money laundering and violence.

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Headed by senior figures with authority over their clans they keep a low profile and run businesses with legitimate fronts.

Over decades illegitimate wealth gained from organised crime has been cleaned via those businesses.

Andrea Mantella, a hitman for the gang, was ordered to kill his gay cousin because of the disgrace his sexuality brought on the family.

Filippo Gangitano was living openly with his boyfriend in the village of Vibo Valentia. In 2002, Mantella lured him to a farm before shooting and burying him.

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