Life After Hate Part 2: A Brief Chronicle of Nicky Crane

In response to the Arno Michael's Article the very first comment mentioned Nicky Crane. Nicky Crane gained notoriety by being a bodyguard/compatriot of Skrewdriver the infamous racist punk band and as founder of Blood and Honour, the British racist skinhead movement alleged by many to be enforcers for the British National Party, a far right British political party dedicated to keep Britain the same color as milk.

Picture of Nicky Crane from the Cover
Of The Punk Compilation Album
Strength Through Oi

To some the idea that Nicky Crane would be one of the faces of a movement that was anti black, anti homosexual, anti anyone not light, bright, cockney, and white, while being a homosexual was unthinkable. And it was initially to me too, until I began to think of a point made in the Graphic Novel “Stuck Rubber Baby.”

SEGREGATED GAY BARS,
SWARTHY ARMENIANS ARYANS
AND SKINHEAD JEWS

While a fictional story the book drew heavily on the author's Howard Cruse own experiences as a gay man in Alabama Two scenes I recalled thinking about how Nicky Crane managed to be both gay and a racist, made me realize this combination wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

The first was a scene at a Gay Bar where a bunch of gay guys having a conversation that our main character overhears, comment on how “the bar has really gone down since they started allowing niggers in.” In another scene during a civil rights march another character who has been beaten by a cop yelling racial slurs explains that this was the very same person who was a regular at the same gay bar and with whom he had hooked up a few weeks earlier.

Now Southern Culture is complex, is often evoked in conversations about race. Issues of sex and race in Southern Culture, can get complicated. The same person who put great effort into fighting integration tooth and nail, could also have a interracial daughter at the same time, as was the case with Strom Thurmond. There is no reason to believe that Southern Gay Culture would be any less complex in dealing with race and sexuality. There is also no reason to believe that race and sexuality get any less complex by leaving the South, and going anywhere else.

Strom Thurmond's Daughter and his Grandchildren

The contradictions and unusual behavior that occur when dealing with race and sexuality is not unique to Southern culture straight, gay, or otherwise. Another example, this one having to do with racial identity more so than sexuality, that came to mind, is Arno Michael's description of an encounter with an Armenian Skinhead in “Life After Hate.”

In this encounter Arno Michaels notes the rather swarthy complexion of this Armenian skinhead who is joining him in battle to fight for white rights and Aryan Superiority. Anyone who knows anything about Armenian genetics or culture would raise their eyebrow to this notion of Armenians representing or fighting for a “White Purity” Ideal.

With Heavy Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and some African Influence, a great percentage of Armenians have geographical and genetic origins outside Europe. The Kardashian Family perhaps America's most famous Armenians, are originally from Iran/Persia. Both Andy Serkis (original family name Serkisian) the actor who portrayed Gollum in Lord of The Rings, and Serj Tankian of System of a Down both have family origins in Iraq. Yet despite history, culture and genetics it was still possible to encounter a Armenian Skinhead.

Andy Serkis

Serj Tankian

Kardashian Sisters

The most unusual example of this type of behavior however would be that of Daniel Burros and Leonard Holstein, and Leo Felton . Despite being the product of a Biracial relationship and a black father, Leo Felton become a Neo Nazi.

Despite both being Jewish, They became organizers and leaders in the American Nazi Party. Eventually Daniel Burros committed suicide after a reporter for the New York Times made it public that he was Jewish. Elements of his life were fictionalized in the movie “The Believer.”

Leo Felton

Leo Felton's Father

Daniel Burros

If Racism can be so powerful that it can make people espouse racist views, despite the fact that their different sexuality, multiracial and ethnic background, or religion ethnic group, is abhorrent to the idea of Aryan Purity, and goes against their self interest, to the point where there are way too many examples then the idea of someone like Nicky Crane existing isn't so unusual. another idea becomes apparent, looking at the case of Nicky Crane and others like him and it is the dark side of “gay people can be anyone.”

DARK SIDE OF REPRESENTATION

A commonly stated and very true statement is that gay people are in every walk of life. You have Gay Football Players (Esera Tuaolo) gay politicians (Barney Frank, Jim Kolbe), Priest (Mychal Judge) gay military people, gay CEO's, world conquerors, bakers, shakers ,candle stick makers, garbage men etc etc.

But the flip side of this is that gay people can be everyone and anyone, some of those everyone and anyones can be unsavory things. con artist (Alan Conway who impersonated Famous director Stanley Kubrick ), Serial Killers (Jeffrey Dahmer,) and of course racist.

Now if Nicky Crane off could be written off as as an anomaly, I would have to scratch my head a lot less, spend less time looking stuff up, and I wouldn't have to given any effort into writing this post, which took a lot longer than anticipated. Unfortunately enough other high profile examples exist that it has to be acknowledged that the anyone and everyone that make up gay people, include racist.

Ernest Rohm, a top figure in the Nazi Party was openly homosexual In Austria there was the case of Jorg Haider, a leader of a Far Right Alliance for the Future of Austria known for making anti Semitic and pro Nazi statements. After his death, the relationship he participated in with his protege Stefan Petzner became public. In England, there was a accusation made by Martin Webster, that he carried on a relationship with Nick Griffin, a current leader of the Far Right Racist British National Party. In all these cases certain themes begin to stand out.

Martin Webster

Former Leader of National Front

Jorg Haider

Leader of the Far Right

Freedom Party of Austria

Ernst Rohm

Leader of SA/Brown Shirts

Member of Nazi Party

THE HOWS AND WHY'S OF BEING A GAY RACIST SKINHEAD

(BOTH IN AND OUT OF THE CLOSET)

In “Life After Hate” Arno Michaels discusses the vulnerabilities that led to him becoming a skinhead. While in Arno's case he's a heterosexual, the very same factors that led to his decision, would factor into a gay person becoming a skinhead. In fact depending on how closeted the person is the more attractive the idea of being a skinhead would be.

If someone was young, gay, probably closeted, and self hating, doing something to throw suspicion off them being gay, plus from an environment of casual or at least that possibility would make being a skinhead seem a good idea. The added benefit of becoming part of a group that helps their self esteem by setting up a confrontational and superior attitude towards outsiders based on race and ethnicity, makes it not a unattractive proposition. In skinhead culture where violence is seen as proof of manhood, the idea of hiding gayness by beating people up or obfuscating it with this activity is a very

likely option., That gay men would become a target would only help this person further disguise their own homosexuality. If the violence they doled out extended to gay people, even the better for them in maintaining their closer. In discussing how racist skinheads related to gay people Arno Michaels had this to say.

As whites, we didn’t worry about having to prove how not-black we were. But it was always important to keep your distance from homosexuality. Any good white man worth a damn had to either have a steady girlfriend, wife or a steady wake of female conquests to prove how not-gay he was. For those guys who weren’t a hit with the ladies, being called a faggot was always a concern. They would try to establish their heterosexuality by bashing gay men, verbally and physically.

Having a Multiple Arrest record for various offenses and a job as a bouncer helped Nicky Crane maintain this reputation. It's rumored that he maintained this reputation so well that other skinheads who suspected he was gay never confronted him on it because of this reputation for violence.

As long as they can fulfill the macho requirements losing themselves in violence and liquor for the culture and sneak off to have anonymous sex then its quite possible that a gay skinhead could continue on this path. Whats surprising is that if the same person decides to come out one of the changes isn't necessarily becoming any less of a racist.

As I mentioned earlier race and sexuality when they meet can be complicated, and being gay doesn't cancel that out, and they may initially feel that being gay doesn't mean they can't be racist. There are unfortunately instances and people that prove this true.

Comedian Alec Mapa entitled a one man show he did “No Fats, Fems, Asians” off a very common listing in Gay Personal Ads. Many gay men and Lesbians have expressed discomfort when it comes to being made to feel welcome in the gay community. One of the reasons given for separate ethnic pride parades is the lack of visibility of gay men of color in mainstream gay culture.

A historical example that most gay skinheads would be familiar with is Ernst Rohm, whom was openly gay and enforced Nazi policies against Jews, Gypsies, and other enemies of the Nazis. And as a modern example, there is this guy who manages to somehow combine being gay, a Hindi and a racist skinhead ?!?! (I'm going to let him explain himself........)

But Trying to maintain these two identities never seems to last. To try to be a open homosexual and a racist skinhead/Nazi/racist is a swan song that may last a bit but usually ends on a bad note.

The Most benign cases happened to Martin Webster. Upon being revealed to being a homosexual he was ostracized from the National Front, the political party he lead and shut out of the British Far Right.

Ernst Rohm suffered a worse fate. During the Night of The Long Knives Rohm who was despised by a lot of Hitler's Inner circle for both his open sexuality, and the perceived threat they thought he posed to both the Nazi Party and Adolph Hitler by his independent actions.

Along with other members of the SA/Brown shirts, Ernst Rohm was shot and killed. His and other SA members homosexuality were used as a rational for their execution by the Nazi's.

And what of Nick Crane ??

Nick Crane appeared on the British Program “Out” where he publicly came out and renounced his racist skinhead past which resulted in him being ousted from that group. Nick Crane had also contracted HIV.

About a year and a half later he had died from AIDS related illness.

His reputation and legacy included, being a Founder of Blood and Honour, a British racist skinhead movement, violence towards minorities, and political thug. His toughness and reputation as a fighter undermined the gays as sissies argument. His racist skinhead activities prove the dark side yet the truth of “gay people can be anyone.

The question of how many of his exploits that earned him a reputation of violence and fierce fighter, targeted Black and South Asian Britons, and homosexuals is a very uneasy one, and dark answers are very likely. And yet despite all this, he did renounce his formerly destructive and racist ways, and he renounced the racism of his former comrades.

Whether what Nick Crane did was forgivable or not is debatable. Which is more important in that decision ? your actions before or after your repentance ? In the debate that started by revealing the idea of Nicky Crane, that got prompted by Arno Michaels discussing the attitude that Skinheads had towards homosexuals, and the violence committed before the change of heart, this became a deeply contested idea.