Strapped for Cash: A History of American Hustler Culture

An inside view of American hustler culture from the 1600s to today. Male and transgendered hustlers have been a mostly -invisible part of American life for more than 400 years. Their invisibility leaves these men unprotected, victimized and at risk for sexually transmitted diseases, assault and murder. Strapped for Cash is a critical examination of sex work that serves as both a cultural analysis and a guide for those who conduct HIV/AIDS and other interventions among male and transgendered sex workers. Mack Friedman brings to this work an unusual perspective informed by both his former life as a hustler and his current work as a case manager targeting prostituted youth. Drawn from many sources, including 50 oral histories from current and former male and transgendered sex workers, details of the work of anti-vice committees, academic research and uncovered materials from archives around the country, Strapped for Cash presents the first complete picture of the evolution of hustler culture. Friedman reaches back to European hustler history to find the influences that informed male-male sex trade in the New World and carries this research forward to examine media representations, the development of male pornography and the larger social implications of male sex work. Frank and unapologetic, Strapped for Cash is a powerfully provocative study of this marginalized world.
Features more than 70 black-and-white photographs. Mack Friedman is an HIV testing and prevention supervisor for the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force. Formerly a youth advocate for Women Hurt in Systems of Prostitution -Engaged in Revolt (WHISPER), and the former vice president of Youth Services of Pittsburgh, he currently serves on the boards of both the Southwestern Pennsylvania AIDS Planning Coalition and Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE). A native of Chicago and a 2001 graduate of the University of Minnesota, he currently lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.