If you think the headline is wild, the story behind it is wilder.
The Italian Mafia operating in south Calabria, Italy has apparently "relaxed" its stance on homosexuality after an entire century of committing murder on its gay members, saying it has "evolved with society."
Nicola Gratteri, an anti-mafia investigator who has lived three decades under police protection, said in a statement:
"Gays can be accepted now, even as foot soldiers, so long as they don't parade it in public."
Mafia drops ban on homosexuality after discovering mob boss’ son is a fabulous drag queen https://t.co/2fNMIBoTag— PinkNews (@PinkNews)1575892159.0
One of the bosses of 'Ndranghetas—the mafia to whom Gratteri is referring in his statement—has a child living as drag queen Lady Godiva, who is simply gag-worthy.
Watch Lady Godiva perform in the finale of Miss Drag Queen Italy:
Finale Miss Drag Queena Italia 2014 Performance di Lady Godiva www.youtube.com
@PinkNews This is the weirdest story of inclusion ever— Kairi Akanami (@Kairi Akanami)1575920729.0
@PinkNews Mafia Updates Slogan to 'Be Gay, Do Crimes'— Aida Snownan ☃️❄️ (@Aida Snownan ☃️❄️)1575952164.0
@PinkNews Mafia more progressive than republican party— jack mcgraw (@jack mcgraw)1575937157.0
@PinkNews Have the film rights been picked up yet— aran (@aran)1575897141.0
@PinkNews Vindication! https://t.co/0pUH43sqTS— Maximillien Robesgruyere (@Maximillien Robesgruyere)1575943476.0
Gratteri also says that the generational shift has changed the temperature of the mafia, and that they'd 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. The young today can't take the stress of prison in the way their parents did. They get paranoid, depressed. They're more fragile."
@PinkNews Mafia > Evangelical Christians?— RATLTheVotein2020 (@RATLTheVotein2020)1575945716.0
@PinkNews When the mafia is nicer than most people— pineapplewitch (@pineapplewitch)1575898267.0
@PinkNews Category is! Sicilian realness.— Mark Binmore (@Mark Binmore)1575892523.0
When Gatteri makes his reports, he's often bombarded by death threats from the mafia.
However, this go 'round, his insinuation that the mafia had gone "soft" for accepting gay men into its ranks earned him emails deriding his "insensitivity."
@PinkNews WOW! I guess the @GOP is next?— Robert Heikkila (@Robert Heikkila)1575893002.0
@PinkNews https://t.co/hwiawla4U9— Gaz (@Gaz)1575909446.0
@PinkNews Vito Spatafore walked so this kid could run https://t.co/9gEQEOwZyM— Andrew (@Andrew)1575951240.0
@PinkNews 🤣 https://t.co/JaYDzW3xGn— Elio Stefan (@Elio Stefan)1575893238.0
@PinkNews Ru as mafia boss 😂 https://t.co/dMbGVN8tqB— Paul (@Paul)1575904374.0
The times, they are a-changin'.
And the mob is changin' with them.